Speaker Dodges Anti-trans Measure; Promises ‘Appropriate Accommodation’ for New Congresswoman
Reporter asks Johnson if McBride is “a man or a woman?”
House Speaker Mike Johnson is trying to dodge a transphobic resolution out forward by a fellow Republican targeting a single new member of Congress.
Republican Rep Nancy Mace, of South Carolina, introduced the measure to keep the first openly transgender woman elected to Congress from using the women’s restrooms at the US Capitol.
Mace introduced her bigoted resolution aimed squarely at Rep-elect Sarah McBride, a Democrat just elected to represent Delaware.
The bathroom resolution has been stirring much talk in recent days and Johnson was asked about it Tuesday.
The speaker pointedly refused to address Mace’s measure, or the smears from Republicans over McBride’s gender, directly.
Mace and her allies have consistently and purposefully misgendered McBride.
“Mr. Speaker, is freshman-elect Sarah McBride a man or a woman?” a reporter asked Johnson during a regular press conference.
“Look, I’m not going to get into this,” the speaker replied. “We — we welcome all new members with open arms who are duly elected representatives of the people. I believe it’s a — it’s a — a command that we treat all persons with dignity and respect, and we will.
“And I’m not going to engage in — in — in silly debates about this,” Johnson added. “There’s a concern about the uses of restroom facilities and locker rooms and all that. This is an issue that Congress has never had to address before, and we’re going to do that in deliberate fashion with member consensus on it. And we will accommodate the needs of every single person. That’s all I’m going to say about that.”
Johnson also was asked if he planned to bring the anti-trans Mace resolution to a vote.
“I’m not going to address the plans on any of that. I just told you what I’m going to say about the issue,” he said. “I’m not going to engage in this. We don’t look down upon anyone. We treat everybody with dignity and respect. That’s a principle that I pursued my whole life.
“And we will take care of this issue of first impression for Congress as we will any other thing. We’ll provide appropriate accommodation for every member of Congress.”
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