US House speaker backs bathroom restriction on trans woman elected to Congress

The speaker of the US House of Representatives came out Wednesday against letting a transgender woman colleague use the women's restroom at the legislature.

"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," Mike Johnson, leader of the Republican majority in the chamber, said in a statement.

Johnson's remarks come after Democrat Sarah McBride's election as the first openly transgender openly member of Congress in November -- and her cold welcome from her conservative colleagues since.

Earlier this week, Representative Nancy Mace, a staunch ally of President-elect Donald Trump, introduced a resolution that would ban transgender women from using female restrooms in the Capitol.

The fiery South Carolina congresswoman explained her thinking on X, posting that "biological men do not belong in private women's spaces. Period. Full stop. End of story."

On Wednesday Mace doubled down, introducing legislation that would apply the rule to all federal property.

Transgender rights are a hot-button issue in the United States -- with the participation of trans people in competitive sports and the subject of access to gender-affirming care for minors triggering fiery debate.

Democrats and LGBTQ advocates largely denounced Mace's effort, categorizing it as an attack on the dignity of trans people.

Asked Tuesday about the measure, Johnson had initially deflected, telling reporters: "This is an issue that Congress has never had to address before, and we're going to do that in deliberate fashion with member consensus."

McBride herself wrote on X that the maneuver was "a blatant attempt from far right-wing extremists to distract from the fact that they have no real solutions to what Americans are facing."

Johnson suggested in his statement that McBride would be limited to using the Capitol's unisex bathrooms or the bathroom in her office.

McBride and the rest of the incoming Congress will be sworn in on January 3.