Sarah McBride: Transgender bathroom bans at Capitol are ‘attempt to misdirect’

Incoming Rep. Sarah McBride, D-Del., called some Republican lawmakers’ push to block transgender people from using restrooms that align with their gender an “attempt to misdirect” from issues Americans care about.
McBride was elected in November as the first openly transgender person to Congress.
“Every single time we hear them say the word trans, look what they’re doing with their right hand. Look at what they’re doing to pick the pocket of American workers, to fleece seniors by privatizing Social Security and Medicare,” she said on CBS’ “Face the Nation.”
“Every bit of time and energy that is used to divert the attention of federal government to go after trans people is time and energy that is not focused on addressing the cost of living for our constituents,” she added. “And we have to be clear that there is a real cost for the American worker every time they focus on this.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., on Wednesday announced a policy banning transgender people from using some Capitol restrooms that correspond with their gender. Johnson announced the policy two days after Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., introduced a resolution that would bar transgender women from using women’s restrooms at the Capitol. She also filed broader legislation that would apply to every federal building and federally funded school.
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Transgender rights was a prominent GOP campaign issue, with President-elect Donald Trump increasingly running anti-transgender ads close to Election Day. About 0.5 percent of adults in the U.S. identify as transgender.
McBride told CBS Friday that she never planned to use multi-stall bathrooms at the Capitol, something she would have shared with new colleagues if they had asked.
It is unclear how the policy would be enforced for transgender tourists or staff. Thousands of people work on the Capitol grounds and millions visit each year.
McBride has been criticized by some, including some in the LGBTQ community, for complying with Johnson’s new policy not taking a stand on the issue. McBride has urged her new Democratic colleagues to push back on dehumanizing language, but not to let Congress or the media’s focus be on culture fights.
“I didn’t run for the United States House of Representatives to talk about what bathroom I use. I didn’t run to talk about myself. I ran to deliver for Delawareans. And while Republicans in Congress seem focused on bathrooms and trans people, and specifically me, I’m focused on rolling up my sleeves, diving into the details, setting up my office, and beginning the hard work of delivering for Delawareans on the issues that I know keep them up at night,” she said Sunday.
“At the end of the day, how I’m being treated does not matter. What matters is how the American people are being treated and whether we’re actually focused on the issues that matter to them.”