Speaker Mike Johnson Resolves Bathroom Dispute with Policy Reserving Single-Sex Facilities for Biological Sex

House Speaker Mike Johnson has successfully avoided a contentious floor fight over bathroom policies by issuing a straightforward statement: “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.”

This move followed Rep. Nancy Mace’s (R-SC) resolution to establish the same policy in response to the election of Congress’ first transgender member, Sarah McBride of Delaware.

McBride and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) quickly voiced their outrage, accusing Mace of attempting to “bully a member of Congress.”

While Mace has been criticised for her publicity-seeking tactics, she also has a history of advocating for women’s rights, including her work as a state legislator, where she led efforts to pass a ban on shackling pregnant women in prison and securing a rape exception in abortion legislation. Mace, a rape survivor herself, stands firm on protecting women’s spaces, a sentiment Speaker Johnson echoed when he emphasised, “Women deserve women’s only spaces.”

Amid ongoing political tensions, reasonable individuals from both parties must recognise this fundamental truth.