Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina has proposed a ban on transgender women using women’s restrooms in the U.S. Capitol. This comes in response to the election of Rep.-elect Sarah McBride of Delaware, who will be the first openly transgender member of Congress.
Mace’s proposal has sparked a renewed debate on transgender rights and policies. She has also called for legislation to extend the ban to all federal buildings and schools that receive federal funding. This marks a shift in Mace’s stance on transgender issues.
In the past, she described herself as “pro-transgender rights” and supported children exploring their gender identities through clothing, hairstyles, and pronouns. However, Mace now opposes allowing transgender women access to women’s private spaces, citing safety concerns.
Mace’s restroom policy shift
She has used anti-transgender rhetoric on social media, referring to transgender individuals as “mentally ill.”
Despite this change in tone, Mace maintains that she supports LGBTQ rights and has voted in favor of same-sex marriage. She co-sponsored the Fairness for All Act in 2021, which aimed to ban discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation while allowing religious exemptions. House Speaker Mike Johnson has announced a policy across the Capitol complex that effectively bans transgender women from women’s restrooms and other female-designated spaces.
The policy specifies that all single-sex facilities are reserved for individuals of that biological sex. In response, McBride stated on social media that while she disagrees with the rules, she will follow them. She emphasized that her focus is on fighting for her constituents and addressing the costs facing families, not on bathroom debates.
The issue of transgender rights, particularly regarding bathroom access and sports participation, remains contentious in American politics. Public opinion is divided, with polls showing mixed views on specific policies such as bathroom use and banning transgender youth from school sports teams.
