Rep.-elect Sarah McBride, who will become the first openly transgender member of Congress when she is sworn into office next year, said she's "not here to fight about bathrooms" and "will follow the rules" set for members of Congress even if she doesn't agree with them.
This comes after Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) introduced a resolution on Monday to "ban transgender women from using biological women's restrooms at the U.S. Capitol" and later told Scripps News she planned to file bills that would extend that ban to any property that uses public funds.
Mace said the resolution was targeted toward McBride, a transgender woman recently elected to represent Delaware, even though she will not be in the House for a couple of months.
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House Speaker Mike Johnson issued a statement Wednesday after promising Mace her ban would be included in the House rules package. "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," he said.
As the debate over anti-transgender bathroom bills continues, McBride said she's focused on the issues the people who elected her are facing and will follow any rules outlined by Johnson even if she disagrees with them.
RELATED STORY | Republican proposes restroom ban as first openly transgender member joins House
"This effort to distract from the real issues facing this country hasn't distracted me over the last several days, as I've remained hard at work preparing to represent the greatest state in the union come January," McBride said in a social media statement.
"Serving in the 119th Congress will be the honor of a lifetime — and I continue to look forward to getting to know my future colleagues on both sides of the aisle," McBride said. "Each of us were sent here because voters saw something in us that they value."
