Sarah McBride has been under attack by her new co-workers before even starting her first term as a Congresswoman. McBride was elected earlier this month to be the representative of Delaware in the U.S. House of Representatives, making her the first out transgender member of Congress in U.S. history.
South Carolina Republican congresswoman Nancy Mace quickly introduced a resolution on Monday to prohibit House employees from using “single-sex facilities other than those corresponding to their biological sex.” She said it was in response to McBride’s swearing in to come on January 3. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) said the resolution “didn’t go far enough.”
On Tuesday, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) said, “We welcome all new members with open arms who are duly elected representatives of the people. I believe it’s a command we treat all persons with dignity and respect. […] We’re going to do that in a deliberate fashion with member consensus on it, and we will accommodate the needs of every single person.”
But Johnson quickly changed his tune. On Wednesday, before Mace’s resolution was considered, Johnson announced the House’s rules would be that all single-sex facilities in the Capitol and House buildings would be only for those of that biological sex. He noted that gender-neutral bathrooms in the Capitol and that each congressmember has a private bathroom.
McBride issued a statement soon after that she would respect the Speaker’s rules.
I’m not here to fight about bathrooms. I’m here to fight for Delawareans and to bring down costs facing families. pic.twitter.com/bCuv7pIZBY
— Sarah McBride (@SarahEMcBride) November 20, 2024
“I will follow the rules as outlined by Speaker Johnson,” McBride wrote, “even if I disagree with them.”
McBride said she was focused on serving Delawareans and still looking forward to meeting her fellow congresspeople.
The trans community’s reaction to McBride’s statement has been mixed. McBride received an outpouring of support in the comments on her social media posts, calling the statement classy and that she was taking the high road. But some critics saw the decision not to fight the policy as dangerous for other trans people dealing with anti-trans bathrooms laws.
One parent of a trans child told Erin Reed, “To see Sarah McBride essentially confirm that if those who hate my son scream loud enough he should be expected to comply is a heartbreak I didn’t really know existed,” continuing that she thought McBride’s response was shortsighted.
Others agreed the statement sends a message that others should comply with bathroom bans. Commenters on Mace’s response post said they hoped others followed McBride’s example.
“Sarah McBride’s promise to abide by Speaker Johnson’s policy is a step toward acknowledging the rights of women everywhere—something we’ll continue to demand without compromise,” Mace wrote. Mace has posted hundreds of times on social media about trans people in bathrooms in recent days.
“I’m just getting started,” she said in a TikTok video this week. “[I’m] nowhere near stopping.”
