Wyoming’s only member of the U.S. House of Representatives voiced support Wednesday for a new House rule banning males from the women’s bathrooms and locker rooms throughout the U.S. Capitol complex.
The controversy erupted after Rep. Nancy Mace, R-South Carolina, introduced a resolution Monday that would ban transgender women from using women’s restrooms and changing rooms in the Capitol — weeks after Delaware Democrat Sarah McBride was elected as the first openly transgender member of Congress.
McBride joins the House on Jan. 3.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Louisiana, juggled the controversy this week, assuring the media that the House would treat all members with dignity, but would maintain private spaces for women.
“A man is a man and a woman is a woman, and a man cannot become a woman,” said Johnson in a Tuesday announcement.
He published a brief statement Wednesday issuing a House-wide rule.
“All single-sex facilities in the Capitol and House Office Buildings — such as restrooms, changing rooms and locker rooms — are reserved for individuals of that biological sex,” wrote Johnson. “It is important to note that each Member office has its own private restroom, and unisex restrooms are available throughout the Capitol.”
The statement then concludes, “Women deserve women’s only spaces.”
Wyoming On Board
Rep. Harriet Hageman, R-Wyoming, voiced support for the new rule in a Wednesday email to Cowboy State Daily.
She also gave a nod to some University of Wyoming volleyball players, nine of whom voted against playing a match against a team with a male player. Three of those are now suing the Mountain West Conference over the transgender player controversy.
“As leaders, we cannot be unwilling to do what we have expected girls across the country to do,” wrote Hageman. “Our UW girls stood up to this nonsense and I will do the same in D.C. We have every right to demand safety in women’s sports and privacy in women’s spaces. I have talked with leadership about this issue and believe we will have resolution.”
A Distraction
McBride issued a Wednesday statement to X (formerly Twitter) calling the bathroom movement a distraction from real issues.
“I’m not here to fight about bathrooms. I’m here to fight for all Delawareans and to bring down costs facing families,” wrote McBride.
Still, the new delegate promised to abide by Johnson’s new rules, “even if I disagree with them.”
Serving in Congress will be the “honor of a lifetime,” wrote McBride, adding a desire to reach across the aisle and work with other members of the House.
In a post Monday, McBride called the movement “a blatant attempt from far-right extremists to distract from the fact that they have no real solutions to what Americans are facing.”
Congressional delegates should be focused rather on bringing down the cost of housing, health care and child care, McBride wrote, “Not manufacturing culture wars.”
Clair McFarland can be reached at clair@cowboystatedaily.com.
