Republican Lawmaker Responds to Historic Election of Trans Congress Member by Introducing Anti-Trans Bathroom Bill

After the first-ever openly transgender congress member was elected, a Republican lawmaker has introduced a bill to ban transgender women from using the Capitol's female restrooms.

Delaware state Senator Sarah McBride, a Democrat, will become the first openly transgender person to serve in Congress once she takes office in the House of Representatives in January. However, South Carolina Rep. Nancy Mace has now introduced a bill that would require lawmakers and employees to use facilities corresponding to their "biological sex," as reported by NBC News.

"Sarah McBride doesn't get a say in this," Mace told reporters on Monday. "This is a biological man trying to force himself into women's spaces, and I'm not going to tolerate it."

That evening, McBride wrote in a statement to X, "Every day Americans go to work with people who have life journeys different than their own and engage with them respectfully, I hope members of Congress can muster that same kindness."

"This is a blatant attempt from far right-wing extremists to distract from the fact that they have no real solutions to what Americans are facing. We should be focused on bringing down the cost of housing, health care, and child care, not manufacturing culture wars," McBride continued.

Mace maintained that her bill was about "women's rights," and told reporters, "I'm not going to allow men to erase women or women's rights," as reported by CNN.

A number of bathroom bills have been introduced around the country seeking to prevent transgender individuals from using the bathroom that matches their gender identity. At least 14 states have implemented bathroom bans, according to the Human Rights Campaign.