Speaker Johnson targets transgender bathroom access, throwing weight behind Mace

WASHINGTON — Speaker Mike Johnson said transgender women should not use women’s bathrooms in the House, adding fuel to a push led by Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C.

“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,” he said in a Wednesday statement.

“It is important to note that each Member office has its own private restroom, and unisex restrooms are available throughout the Capitol. Women deserve women’s only spaces,” the statement continued.

It’s not clear how Johnson plans to enforce such a policy, which closely aligns with a resolution introduced earlier this week by Mace. Under that proposal, the House sergeant-at-arms would be charged with enforcement.

The announcement comes as part of a larger effort this week to target Rep.-elect Sarah McBride, D-Del., who will become the first transgender member of Congress when she is sworn in on Jan. 3.

Mace had vowed to “triple” down on her effort to bar transgender women from using women’s bathrooms at the Capitol, and thanked Johnson for his support Wednesday while celebrating in a series of posts on the social media platform X.

“Women’s rights are human rights. Pass it on,” wrote the South Carolina Republican, who also reposted messages that misgendered McBride.

She is now seizing the moment to introduce further legislation, unveiling a bill on Wednesday that would extend her proposed ban to all federal property.

McBride has been attending orientation in Washington this week alongside other new members.

“I’m not here to fight about bathrooms. I’m here to fight for Delawareans and to bring down costs facing families. Like all members, I will follow the rules as outlined by Speaker Johnson, even if I disagree with them,” McBride said in a statement Wednesday.

“This effort to distract from the real issues facing this country hasn’t distracted me over the last several days,” she added.

Democrats have voiced disgust with Mace’s push throughout the week. Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries cited “far right extremism” when asked about it at a Tuesday press conference.

“This is what we’re doing? This is the lesson that you’ve drawn from the election in November? This is your priority? That you want to bully a member of Congress, as opposed to welcoming her to join this body so all of us can work together and get things done?” Jeffries said.

While Johnson pointed out that unisex restrooms are available on the Capitol campus, they are not ubiquitous. In addition to three located in House office buildings and some in the Capitol Visitor Center, five are set to be added to the Cannon Building in the 119th Congress as part of its renovation, according to a House Republican aide.

Mace has spoken publicly in recent years about being raped as a 16-year-old and said the idea of men in women’s spaces is a trigger. Standing on the House steps on Tuesday afternoon, Mace said, “I am a survivor of sexual abuse. I can tell you right now, I am never going to allow a biological man in any women’s private spaces. ... The fact is, people are threatening to kill me over men’s disillusioned right to use women’s bathrooms. This is effing crazy.”

After Mace descended the steps, Democratic Rep. Eric Sorensen shared his own thoughts with reporters.

“It is absolutely ignorant and it is a slap in the face to the first trans member of Congress,” said Sorensen, who himself became the first openly gay member from Illinois in 2023. “That is bulls---.”

Before Johnson issued his statement Wednesday, Mace had told reporters that the speaker assured her the House Rules package for the 119th Congress would include her bathroom proposal or something similar. If not, she was prepared to offer an amendment to the rules package or try to force a vote.

While the culture war battle over transgender rights has raged for years, it has intensified in recent weeks after the election that saw Donald Trump regain the presidency and Republicans flip the Senate and hold the House. Some elected Democrats, such as Rep. Seth Moulton of Massachusetts, have publicly questioned their party’s stances on issues like transgender inclusion in girls sports.

Meanwhile, in many Republican-led states across the country, lawmakers have passed legislation outlawing gender-affirming care for minors or restricting access to bathrooms.

On the Hill itself, this isn’t the first time bathroom access has become a flashpoint.

Female lawmakers long called for women’s bathrooms closer to the House floor, so they wouldn’t have to travel far during votes. But that change didn’t come until 2011.

Traditionally male governmental institutions have been forced to contend with a growing number of women in elected office, according to Jean Sinzdak, associate director of the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University. Slowly they’ve adapted, but new issues of inclusion and accessibility have emerged.

“These are institutions that were designed and built specifically without women’s representation and inclusion in mind,” Sinzdak said.

“The challenge with getting more women’s restrooms years ago was more like an inertia, I think, than it was an overt political campaign,” she added. “But the underlying piece of all this is ... it’s crucial to pay attention to access and inclusion, with an eye towards participation. How are we making these physical spaces open and welcoming to people from all backgrounds?”