Trans U.S. Rep-elect Sarah McBride on Mike Johnson’s Capitol bigotry: 'Not here to fight about bathrooms'

Delaware U.S. Rep.-elect Sarah McBride, who will become the first out transgender member of Congress when she’s sworn in this January, has responded to Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson’s controversial Wednesday decision to ban transgender people from using restrooms aligned with their gender identity in House-controlled facilities. In a measured statement, McBride emphasized her commitment to representing Delaware families and addressing pressing issues, not engaging in divisive culture wars.

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“I’m not here to fight about bathrooms. I’m here to fight for Delawareans and to bring down costs facing families,” McBride said in her statement. “Like all members, I will follow the rules as outlined by Speaker Johnson even if I disagree with them.”

McBride’s comments come in the wake of Johnson’s announcement that single-sex facilities in the Capitol complex will now be restricted based on an individual’s gender assigned at birth. The move, unveiled on Transgender Day of Remembrance, has drawn sharp criticism from LGBTQ+ advocates, Democratic lawmakers, and human rights organizations, who have called it discriminatory and unnecessary.

Despite the backlash and the attention the policy has garnered, McBride made clear that it has not distracted her from the priorities of her constituents.

“This effort to distract from the real issues facing this country hasn’t distracted me over the last several days, as I’ve remained hard at work preparing to represent the greatest state in the union come January,” she said.

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Related: Speaker Mike Johnson bans trans people from all single-sex bathrooms at U.S. House

McBride, who has a history of working with Republicans in the Delaware state Senate, expressed optimism about serving in the next Congress and building relationships with lawmakers across the political spectrum.

“Serving in the 119th Congress will be the honor of a lifetime — and I continue to look forward to getting to know my future colleagues on both sides of the aisle,” she wrote. “Each of us were sent here because voters saw something in us that they value. I have loved getting to see those qualities in the future colleagues that I’ve met, and I look forward to seeing those qualities in every member come January. I hope all of my colleagues will seek to do the same with me.”

Wisconsin U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan, chair of the Congressional Equality Caucus, said in a post on social media that he has requested a meeting with Johnson.

“As Chair of the @EqualityCaucus, I requested a meeting with Speaker Johnson to discuss his bathroom ban and open his eyes to the reality that this policy is cruel, completely unenforceable, and opens the door for abuse, harassment, and discrimination in the halls of Congress,” Pocan wrote.