Speaker Johnson announces new Capitol bathroom policy in response to controversy over trans House member

House Speaker Mike Johnson announced a caller bath argumentation for the U.S. Capitol connected Wednesday successful effect to contention related to transgender Rep.-elect Sarah McBride, D-Del.

"All single-sex facilities successful the Capitol and House Office Buildings – specified arsenic restrooms, changing rooms, and locker rooms – are reserved for individuals of that biologic sex," Johnson, R-La., said successful a connection obtained by Fox News Digital. "It is important to enactment that each Member bureau has its ain backstage restroom, and unisex restrooms are disposable passim the Capitol." 

"Women merit women’s lone spaces," Johnson added. 

"Like each policies, it is enforceable," Johnson aboriginal told reporters. "But we person single-sex facilities for a reason, and women merit women's lone spaces. And we're not anti anyone. We're pro-women, and I deliberation it's an important argumentation for america to continue. It's ever been the, I guess, an unwritten policy, but present it's successful writing." 

SPEAKER JOHNSON MAKES CLARIFICATION AFTER STATEMENT REGARDING TRANSGENDER HOUSE MEMBER

House Speaker Mike Johnson departs a quality league connected Capitol Hill connected Nov.19, 2024. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., earlier this week introduced a solution that moves to prohibit members, officers and employees of the House from utilizing "single-sex facilities different than those corresponding to their biologic sex." 

Mace, who is simply a rape survivor, was derided by Democrats, including McBride, arsenic a "right-wing extremist" implicit the resolution, but the South Carolina congresswoman doubled down connected Wednesday. 

She introduced different caller measure to "ban biologic men from utilizing women’s private, protected facilities – specified arsenic bathrooms and locker rooms – connected each national property" crossed the country. 

Rep. Nancy Mace talks with reporters earlier a gathering of the House Republican Conference successful the U.S. Capitol connected Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

"The extremist Left would alternatively telephone maine an extremist than admit they are wrong. The extremist Left says I’m a ‘threat.’ You amended judge it," Mace said successful a statement. "And I volition shamelessly telephone you retired for putting women and girls successful harm’s way. Women fought for these spaces, and I volition not fto them beryllium erased to people governmental points with a tiny but large activistic class." 

JOHNSON DECLINES TO SAY IF TRANSGENDER REP-ELECT IS MAN OR WOMAN, SAYS HOUSE TO TREAT EVERYONE WITH 'RESPECT'

Mace's bureau added that "the immense bulk of Americans admit the value of protecting women’s rights and privacy," portion "the woke mob manufactures outrage." 

"Women and girls shouldn’t person to springiness up their information oregon privateness conscionable due to the fact that the Left wants to triumph points with their activistic base," Mace continued. "This isn’t arguable – it’s communal sense. I’m going to proceed defending women and girls from these harmful, out-of-touch, and straight-up weird policies."

Rep.-elect Sarah McBride, left, joins different recently elected House members for a freshman people photograph connected the Capitol steps, Friday, Nov. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

Mace had said she received death threats for bringing the archetypal resolution, sharing to X 1 societal media video of a transgender idiosyncratic threatening to bushed and termination her.  

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP 

Johnson, who initially declined to respond to a question Tuesday connected whether McBride was a antheral oregon a woman, made a definitive clarification aboriginal that day, telling reporters, "Let maine beryllium unequivocally clear: A antheral is simply a man, and a pistillate is simply a woman. And a antheral cannot go a woman." 

The talker added: "I besides judge that we dainty everybody with dignity, and truthful we tin bash and judge each those things astatine the aforesaid time."