A trans bathroom ban, spearheaded by Representative Nancy Mace, has been put in place in Capitol Hill. Despite the rule’s absence from the originally published Congressional Record on January 3, House Speaker Mike Johnson included the new rule in his version of the record anyway.
Mace had originally introduced the piece of legislation on November 18. On November 20, Johnson announced in a statement that “all single sex facilities” would be “reserved for individuals of that biological sex,” leaving trans Capitol Hill workers out of a place to use the restroom. The rule had been added to the new 119th Congress term’s legislation after the vote, it appears, as it was not included in the version that was voted on that had passed. It seems that Johnson is wielding his power as Speaker by sneaking the trans bathroom ban into the record, without it having been voted on. The rule was apparently nowhere to be found, according to Them, on January 2, the day before the vote.
Mace herself has been quite busy blasting transphobic language on social media and spouting anti-trans rhetoric on the road, making stops in Newark and even in rival Representative Sarah McBride’s home district in Delaware, antagonizing the trans congresswoman with her inflammatory comments. Her one-sided arch-nemesis has not responded to comment on Mace’s visit to her turf, not seeming to want to engage in the transphobic catfight. But McBride did announce that she would comply with the new rule, opting to use her private bathroom or the unisex bathroom while at work.
Of note, there are still private restrooms in each congressperson’s office, and unisex restrooms are also available on Capitol Hill. But not everyone has their own restroom or wants to use the unisex bathroom. The entirety of the Capitol’s staffers are left without a choice now.
