Johnson Imposes Transgender Bathroom Ban at Capitol

WASHINGTON — House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., on Wednesday announced a new policy explicitly stating that transgender individuals are not permitted to use bathrooms in the U.S. Capitol that match their gender identity.

In a brief statement circulated to members and posted on the speaker’s website, Johnson, who has control of facilities in the chamber under House rules, said, “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.

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

Transgender bathroom use in the Capitol became an issue earlier this month when Delaware voters elected Sarah McBride, who made history there as the state’s first openly transgender state senator, to represent them in Congress.

In response, on Monday, Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., introduced a resolution to bar transgender women from facilities on Capitol Hill that match their gender identity.

On Wednesday, she responded to Johnson’s announcement with a simple, “Thank you, Speaker Johnson,” post on the X social media platform.

However, in a separate post, she added, “This fight isn’t over just yet. We want to ban men from women’s spaces in EVERY federal building, school, public bathroom, everywhere.”

As for Representative-elect Sarah McBride, she responded by issuing a statement in which she said, “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,” she said.

McBride continued: “This effort to distract from the real issues facing this country hasn’t distracted me over the last several days, as I’ve remained hard at work preparing to represent the greatest state in the union come January.

“Serving in the 119th Congress will be the honor of a lifetime — and I continue to look forward to getting to know my future colleagues on both sides of the aisle,” she said, adding, “Each of us were sent here because voters saw something in us they value. 

“I have loved getting to see those qualities in the future colleagues that I’ve met and I look forward to seeing those qualities in every member come January. I hope all of my colleagues will seek to do the same with me,” she said.

But even that wasn’t the last word.

On the opposite side of the Capitol, Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., threw his support behind McBride in the bathroom imbroglio.

“There’s no job I’m afraid to lose if it requires me to degrade anyone,” he wrote on X. “If that’s a defining issue for a voter, there will be a different candidate.

“We have a bathroom in my office that anybody is welcome to use, including Representative-elect Sarah McBride,” he said.

Dan can be reached at [email protected] and @DanMcCue