House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) took a bold stand Wednesday, announcing a new policy that bars biological men from using women’s bathrooms in the U.S. Capitol. The move, detailed in a press release that PJ Media obtained, reflects a decisive step in prioritizing the privacy and safety of women’s spaces.
“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," the speaker said.
Johnson's announcement comes after Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) took a stand for women’s privacy and safety by introducing legislation to bar biological men who “identify” as women from using women’s restrooms in the U.S. Capitol. Mace's legislation was a preemptive move ahead of Tim “Sarah” McBride, a transgender-identifying man elected to the House of Representatives, being sworn in this coming January.
“It is important to note that each Member office has its own private restroom, and unisex restrooms are available throughout the Capitol," Johnson noted. “Women deserve women’s only spaces.”
On Tuesday, Johnson dodged a question about whether Mace's bill would be introduced.
"I'm not going to address the plans on any of that," Johnson explained. "I just told you what I'm going to say about the issue. 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've pursued my whole life. And we will take care of this, you know, issue – a first impression for Congress – as we will any other thing. We will provide the appropriate accommodation for every member of Congress."
“Let me be unequivocally clear,” he added. “A man is a man and a woman is a woman. And a man cannot become a woman.”
It seemed like Johnson was hoping for a non-legislative solution to this issue, and at the moment, he's taken a clear stand for protecting women's privacy and dignity.
Johnson was asked by a reporter earlier this afternoon whether the policy was enforceable.
"Yeah, like all house policies, it's enforceable," he said. "But we have single-sex facilities for a reason, and women deserve women's only spaces. And we're not anti-anyone. We're pro-woman. And I think it's an important policy for us to continue. It's always been, I guess, an unwritten policy, but now it's in writing."
Speaker Johnson just now: “Yeah like all House policies it's enforceable. Look, we have single-sex facilities for a reason. Women deserve women's only spaces. And we're not anti-anyone, we're pro-woman. I think it's an important policy for us to continue.” pic.twitter.com/m3FakHHoz7
— Ellis Kim (@elliskkim) November 20, 2024
Something tells me this fight isn't over.
McBride blasted Mace's legislation earlier this week. "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," he 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."
In another statement, McBride said:
I’m not here to fight about bathrooms. I’m here to fight for Delawareans and to bring down costs facing families. pic.twitter.com/bCuv7pIZBY
— Sarah McBride (@SarahEMcBride) November 20, 2024
Mace thanked the Speaker for the policy but insisted that this fight isn't over.
Thank you @SpeakerJohnson!
— Rep. Nancy Mace (@RepNancyMace) November 20, 2024
This fight isn’t over just yet. We want to ban men from women’s spaces in EVERY federal building, school, public bathroom, everywhere. pic.twitter.com/yk9VXEoAuV
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