U.S. Reps. Nancy Mace, Sara Jacobs spar over trans rights and 'boob jobs' as gender-affirming care

Anti-transgender U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace lost it Wednesday after her colleague Sara Jacobs, a trans ally, defended trans people's access to single-sex spaces and pointed out that cisgender people receive gender-affirming care too.

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It started when Mace, a South Carolina Republican, denounced trans people from the House floor. She was discussing her proposed amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act, which would require access to single-sex spaces on military installations to be based on sex assigned at birth.

“Allowing delusional men to use women’s restrooms, locker rooms, changing rooms is an affront to women, and it’s reckless,” she said. She claimed Democrats are defending “pedophiles and men who want to go into women’s spaces and rape them, assault them, and expose themselves.” In reality, trans people are more likely to be harassed or attacked in these spaces than to commit harassment or violence. Also, cisgender women are often harassed if thought to be trans.

Jacobs, a Democrat from California, then spoke in opposition to the amendment. “Trans people, including tran as service members, deserve basic human dignity and common decency in safely using the restroom,” she said.“Bathroom bans do not protect women,” she added, citing a study from the Williams Institute at the University of California, Los Angeles, School of Law that found “there is zero evidence that allowing trans people to use the correct bathroom increases the risk to others. It’s actually opposite.” She pointed out an incident in which a cis girl was followed into a restroom by a restaurant server who demanded that the girl prove her gender.

“We don’t need service members acting like vigilantes,” Jacobs continued. Mace clapped back, saying Democrats have embraced “wacko ideology” and that "If they want this harassment to stop, then the [t word] need to stop harassing the rest of American.”

Jacobs went on to discuss gender-affirming care. “I think it’s very interesting that my colleague from South Carolina is so obsessed with the issue of trans people, using horrible slurs to talk about them when many people in this body have received gender-affirming care,” she said. “Filler is gender-affirming care. Boob jobs is gender-affirming care. Botox is gender-affirming care. Lots of my colleagues have received gender-affirming care. And let me be clear. I think everyone should have access to the gender-affirming care that they need. And I think we should respect everybody in this country.”

Mace responded, “Ridiculous. You are absolutely ridiculous.” Mace also “could be heard yelling at Jacobs for making comments about ‘my body,’” The New Republic reports.

“I didn’t actually say anything about Nancy Mace,” Jacobs told the publication. “I said many of my colleagues have had this kind of care. So I think it’s very telling that she thought that I was picking on her.” The

Mace later posted on X, “To @RepSaraJacobs, I talk about women’s safety and your response is commentary about my body on the House floor.

“If you knew anything about survivors you would know some women change their bodies because of the trauma of sexual violence. They live with the consequences for a lifetime.

“PS - I have a good surgeon if you ever want to get your nose done.”

Jacobs is Jewish.

Jacobs then responded to a Mace post that said, “There is no such thing as a tr*ns child,” with Jacobs saying, “I feel sad for you. Stop lashing out against trans kids and pretending it's to ‘protect women’. Hope you get the help you need.”

Mace also baselessly blamed Democrats for the shooting death of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk. “Democrats own this,” Mace said on Capitol Hill Wednesday, as reported by HuffPost. When HuffPost asked her why, as no suspect is in custody and the motive is unknown, she once again attacked trans people.

“I mean, give me a fucking break. This guy’s talking about mass trans violence, [t word] violence — I’m not going to filter myself — and got shot in the neck like that,” Mace said.

Jacobs, for her part, told The New Republic that trans issues are personal for her, as her youngest sibling is trans and her middle sibling is gender-nonconforming. “And I’ve seen firsthand how much happier and healthier my siblings are when they’ve been able to get the gender-affirming care that they need,” she said.

“I don’t want any kid to have to feel like there’s something wrong with them or they don’t belong just because Nancy Mace wants to get some clicks and more media attention,” Jacobs added.