OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez went off on House Speaker Mike Johnson after the Louisiana Republican appeared to side with a fellow GOP lawmaker on the issue of barring biological men from women’s bathrooms on Capitol Hill.
Last week, Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) introduced a resolution that would prohibit individuals born as men from entering and using women-only facilities. Her measure comes as the country’s first transgender, Rep.-elect Sarah McBride (D-Del.), prepares to take office in January.
Despite Mace’s impetus behind the resolution — she is a rape and sexual abuse survivor — the Bronx Democrat is opposed to the idea and has claimed it is instead motivated by “hate” and “bigotry.”
“What Nancy Mace and what Speaker Johnson are doing are endangering all women and girls… Because if you ask them, ‘What is your plan on how to enforce this?’ they won’t come up with an answer,” she said. “And what it inevitably results in are women and girls who are primed for assault because people are gonna want to check their private parts in suspecting who is trans and who is cis and who’s doing what…. the idea that Nancy Mace wants little girls and women to drop trou in front of who — an investigator?”
She continued: “Who would that be? — because she wants to suspect and point fingers at who she thinks is trans is disgusting. It is disgusting… And frankly, all it does is allow these Republicans to go around and bully any woman who isn’t wearing a skirt because they think she might not look woman enough.”
“People have a right to express themselves, to dress how they want and to be who they are. And if a woman doesn’t look woman enough to a Republican, they want to be able to inspect her genitals to be able to use the bathroom? It’s disgusting. And everybody, no matter how you feel on this issue, should reject it completely,” she added.
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As for Mace, she has repeatedly and strongly doubled down on her proposal.
“If being a feminist makes me an extremist, I’m totally here for it,” she said in response to a reporter’s question last week.
“Is this effort in response in response to Congresswoman McBridge coming to Congress?” the reporter said.
“Yes and absolutely, and then some,” the Congresswoman said. “I’m not going to stand for a man. When someone with a penis is in the women’s locker room, that’s not okay. I’m a victim of abuse, I’m a rape survivor. I have PTSD from the abuse I’ve suffered at the hands of a man and I know how vulnerable women are in private spaces.”
“I’m absolutely 100% gonna stand in the way of any man who wants to be in a women’s restroom, in our locker rooms, in our changing rooms. I will be there fighting you every step of the way,” she said.
🔥🔥🔥 @NancyMace just made this ABC reporter rethink his entire career when he approached her about the new tr*ns congress member using women’s restrooms 😂 pic.twitter.com/85WPZgzFui
— Sara Rose 🇺🇸🌹 (@saras76) November 19, 2024
The South Carolina Republican, who was the first woman to graduate from The Citadel, received praise from many on the X platform.
“Wouldn’t it be nice if @NancyMace didn’t have to work this hard just to avoid having to share a locker room with a biological male? She’s not asking too much here Shame on those who are shaming her for it She’s not the problem here,” Sen. Mike Lee said.
“Why should @NancyMace or any other female member of Congress/staff have to share their bathroom with a man pretending to be a woman? It’s NOT about the feelings of the man masquerading as a fake woman. It’s about not forcing actual women to have to worry that a man is in their bathroom where they are vulnerable (and which is supposed to be a safe, private, female-only space). Members should STAND UP FOR WOMEN’S RIGHTS and not be cowed by empty claims of ‘bullying.’ WOMEN are the ones being bullied into submission,” former Fox News host Megyn Kelly said.
“I don’t care if they’re a Congressman or a collegiate swimmer. A man is a damn man and they have NO place in women’s restrooms, CJ Pearson said.
