House Speaker Mike Johnson declared Wednesday that lawmakers and staff will have to use the restroom corresponding with their biological sex, a statement directed at Sarah McBride, the first transgender person to be elected to Congress, months before she is set to arrive on Capitol Hill.
"All single-sex facilities in the Capitol and House Office Buildings - such as restrooms, changing rooms, and locker rooms - are reserved for individuals of that biological sex," the Louisiana Republican said. "Women deserve women's only spaces."
The statement comes a day after Johnson was questioned on the issue and emphasized the need to "treat all persons with dignity and respect." He also acknowledged that "this is an issue that Congress has never had to address before, and we're going to do that in deliberate fashion with member consensus on it."
A resolution to restrict McBride's access to women's restrooms was introduced Monday by GOP Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina, who pledged to fight to "keep men out of women's spaces." Mace said the bill was aimed specifically at McBride, who was elected to the House this month from Delaware.
In response, McBride called the effort a way to "distract from the real issues facing this country."
