Republicans move from the women’s bathroom to the bar for a trans colleague

A Republican congresswoman has introduced a bill to ban transgender women from using women’s bathrooms in the US Capitol, marking the first time an openly transgender lawmaker has been elected to the House of Representatives.

On Tuesday, Nancy Mays of South Carolina said her resolution was “absolutely” a response to the election of Sarah McBride, who will be sworn into office in January.

McBride called the move “a blatant attempt by far-right extremists to distract from the fact that they have no real solutions to the problems facing Americans”.

Republicans campaigned heavily on their opposition to transgender rights during the election. At a closing rally, Donald Trump said he would “keep transgender insanity out of our schools…and men out of women’s sports”.

The resolution introduced Monday does not specifically mention McBride, but Mace told reporters Tuesday that “it’s 100 percent because of McBride,” according to the Washington Post.

“This is about women and our right to privacy, our right to protection,” Mace said. “I will not allow biological men into women’s private spaces. This is the height of hypocrisy.”

On Monday, McBride responded to the move, posting on X: “Every day Americans go to work with people whose journeys in life are different than theirs and treat them with respect. engage, I hope members of Congress can do the same.”

House Democrats strongly condemned the resolution and accused Mace of bullying a fellow member of Congress.

“That’s your preference, that you want to bully, as opposed to welcome, a member of Congress to join this body so that we can all work together and deliver real results for the American people?” Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries said.

It is unclear when Congress might take the measure up for a vote. It is expected to be part of a package of House rules that members vote on after being sworn in.

House Republican Speaker Mike Johnson on Tuesday declined to say whether it would be part of the rules package, telling reporters that lawmakers would seek consensus as they approached the “unprecedented” issue.

“We’re going to be intentional about this with consensus among the members, and we’re going to cater to each individual’s needs,” Johnson said.

“We treat everyone with respect,” he added, adding, “We will provide reasonable accommodations for every member of Congress.”

It comes as Republicans in Washington, D.C. and state capitols have increasingly focused on transgender issues, including limiting access to gender-reassignment surgery for minors and excluding transgender people from women’s-only sports. Stopping athletes.

During his 2016 campaign, Donald Trump said that transgender students should be allowed to use whichever bathroom “they see fit,” but He changed his stance After facing Republican criticism.