Approximately 25 protestors staged a sit-in at a U.S. Capitol bathroom on December 5, resulting in 15 arrests.
They were protesting the Congress’s recent action to require people use facilities (such as restrooms) on Capitol grounds that align with their sex at birth. These actions were created to target to the first openly transgender congressperson, Sarah McBride, who will be heading to Washington in January. McBride stated she will cooperate with the ban so as not to distract from the issues facing Congress.
The ban doesn’t only affect McBride as other staff in the Capitol are trans, and some worried that her compliance set an example of not fighting against similar measures around the country.
Rep. Nancy Mace, who is leading an anti-trans crusade focused on bathrooms, posted videos and text on social media using an anti-trans slur in response. She has also introduced a bill to ban transgender women from women’s facilities in all federally-funded locations, not just the Capitol.
The protest included activists holding banners with slogans such as “Flush Bathroom Bigotry” and “Congress Stop Pissing on Our Rights.” They occupied the space inside a bathroom near Rep. Mace’s office and the hallway outside Speaker Mike Johnson’s office and held a joyful dance party inside the bathroom. They chanted, “Speaker Johnson Nancy Mace, our bodies are no debate,” “Hey hey ho ho, bathroom bigotry’s got to go,” and “Democrats grow a spine, trans lives are on the line.”
“Everyone deserves to use the restroom without fear of discrimination or violence. Trans folks are no different. We deserve dignity and respect and we will fight until we get it,” said Raquel Willis, co-founder of Gender Liberation Movement, the group that organized the action. “In the 2024 election, trans folks were left to fend for ourselves after nearly $200 million of attack ads were disseminated across the United States. Now, as Republican politicians, try to remove us from public life, Democratic leaders are silent as hell. But we can’t transform bigotry and hate with inaction. We must confront it head on. Democrats must rise up, filibuster, and block this bill.”
Protestors hold a sign by @hugogyrl. (Photo: Alexa Blair Wilkinson @alexabwilkinson)
Former U.S. military intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning was one of the prominent protestors arrested. “I’m here today because every person deserves dignity and respect, both in daily life and in more symbolic places like the U.S. Capitol,” she said. “As someone who has fought against similar rules, I know what it’s like to feel pushed aside and erased. But I also know the incredible power and resilience our community has. I’m not here as a leader or a spokesperson but simply as another member of my community who shows up unconditionally to support my siblings in this fight. I will stand beside them no matter what. We didn’t start this fight, but we are together now.”
