Delaware Rep. Sarah McBride reacts to legislation regarding trans women’s bathroom use at the Capitol

Just weeks after the first openly transgender member of Congress was elected in Delaware, a Republican representative from South Carolina introduced legislation on Monday aimed at barring transgender women from using women’s restrooms on Capitol Hill.

“Sarah McBride doesn’t get a say. This is about women. This is about girls. This is about our rights and being protected in our private spaces. I don’t want to see a man in a women’s restroom.” Republican Representative Nancy Mace of South Carolina previously said.

Delaware Representatives Sarah McBride recently written history as first openly transgender member elected to the US Congress.

“Delawareans emphasize that in our neighboring state we are fair, and we judge candidates on their ideas, not their identities,” McBride said.

But McBride’s identity and the identities of transgender Americans became a flashpoint in the political conversation during the 2024 presidential election, with the Trump campaign and allies spending millions of dollars on anti-trans ads.

Just weeks after her historic victory, she has now become the target of Mace, who introduced a resolution to prevent McBride and other trans women from using the women’s restroom on Capitol Hill.

“This is a biological male. He does not belong in the women’s room, in the women’s bathrooms, locker rooms, locker rooms, period, period,” Mace said. “I will not allow that kind of thing to happen. Not up here at the Capitol and not anywhere in the country.”

McBride reacted to the decision.

“This is a blatant attempt by far right extremists to distract from the fact that they have no real solutions to what Americans are facing. We should be focusing on reducing the cost of housing, health care and child care, not manufacturing culture wars sent me here to make the American Dream more affordable and accessible, and that’s what I’m focused on.”

“Sarah McBride has mentioned that some of these proposals are often a distraction, and I think that’s 100% true. But at the same time, these proposals are real threats,” said Jeff Main, the CEO and co-founder of Point of Pridea nonprofit organization that helps transgender people access health and wellness services across the country.

Main lives in Philadelphia and worries about what could be on the horizon under the Trump administration.

“As a trans person and someone who does this work, I have a lot of concerns,” Main said. “It’s more than just access to a bathroom or access to health care. It’s about existing. It’s about our right to live authentically, safely and with pride.”

Mace’s decision has not yet been approved. The House will vote to approve the House Rules in January.