(Bloomberg) -- Republican Representative Nancy Mace is facing criticisms of bullying and bigotry after filing a resolution that would prevent the first transgender member of the chamber, Sarah McBride, from using the women’s restroom in the Capitol — a move that’s likely a bid to appeal to Donald Trump’s conservative base.
Mace, who’d been attacked by hard-line Republicans over her pro-abortion and pro-gun control stances, filed a resolution Monday that seeks to amend US House rules to prevent transgender women from using the women’s bathrooms. That would directly target McBride, who will make history in January when she’s sworn in as the first openly transgender person in Congress.
“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,” McBride, a Delaware state senator, said in a post on X. “We should be focused on bringing down the cost of housing, health care, and child care, not manufacturing culture wars.”
McBride couldn’t immediately be reached for comment.
Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez denounced Mace’s move, saying in comments to Axios that “this is not just bigotry, this is just plain bullying.”
Representative Maxwell Frost, a Florida Democrat, on Tuesday equated Mace’s resolution to a ploy for attention. “I just don’t understand why bathrooms are top of mind for her,” he added.
The resolution would require just a simple majority in the Republican-controlled chamber. But it could be a tough vote for some Republican moderates, including those in New York and California who narrowly won reelection. House Speaker Mike Johnson deflected questions on Mace’s resolution but said “we will provide” accommodations for every member.
“We welcome all new members with open arms,” he told reporters.
Mace has doubled down after the criticism, telling reporters she’ll stand in McBride’s way outside the restroom, and if the move is approved, wants the sergeant at arms to implement it.
It appears to be a policy repositioning from the South Carolina lawmaker, who’s likely looking to appeal to Donald Trump’s conservative base after the president-elect’s decisive win. In 2021 Mace told the Washington Examiner: “I strongly support LGBTQ rights and equality.” She added: “No one should be discriminated against.”
Trump made attacks on transgender people and made rolling back rights for the community a key plank of his campaign platform. According to CNN, the president-elect spent more than $21 million to air television ads during during NFL games, college football broadcasts and in swing states, attacking rival presidential candidate Kamala Harris for her past support of transgender people.
A record 661 bills targeting the community were introduced by state lawmakers this year. Though only 45 have actually passed, Trump has promised more policies if he’s elected, including outlawing gender affirming care for minors and asking Congress to pass a bill “establishing that the only genders recognized by the United States government are male and female, as assigned at birth.”
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