Nancy Mace placed a label that read “organic” above a signboard in a women’s restroom at the U.S. Capitol

United States: Just weeks before the first openly transgender member of Congress takes office, Republican Representative Nancy Mace put the word “biological” above a sign for a women’s restroom at the U.S. Capitol. This week, Mace, a congresswoman from South Carolina, proposed a measure to prohibit transgender women from accessing the Capitol’s women’s restrooms.

“I never thought we would need a sign for this, but women’s restrooms are for BIOLOGICAL women,” she said on X, previously Twitter. Not males.

Two weeks ago, Democrat Sarah McBride was elected to Congress, making her the first openly transgender person. She is the at-large congressional district of Delaware’s member-elect.

During her bill introduction on Monday night, Mace, who is in her second term, aims to ban anyone from “using single-sex facilities other than those corresponding to their biological sex.” Although it is unclear precisely how this would be done, it would entrust the House sergeant-at-arms with enforcing the measure.

“I wanna make sure that no men are in women’s private spaces and it’s not gonna end here… this shouldn’t be going on any federal property, if you’re a school or an institution that gets government funding, this kind of thing should be banned – I think it’s sick, it’s twisted,” Mace stated on Tuesday.

“I’m happy for it if being a feminist turns me become an extreme. I will not support a male; it is unacceptable to see someone in the women’s locker room with a penis.

“I’ve been abused myself, and I’ve been raped. Because of the abuse I experienced at the hands of a male, I have PTSD, and I am aware of how vulnerable women and girls are in intimate settings. Therefore, I will certainly, categorically, block any guy who wants to enter a woman’s toilet, our locker rooms, or our changing rooms.”

McBride said on Tuesday that Mace’s measure was “absolutely” in reaction to her election, even if it did not specifically mention her by name.

“Sarah McBride has no voice. Mace informed reporters on Monday, “This is a biological man, after all.” She also said that Mace “does not belong in women’s spaces, women’s bathrooms, locker rooms, changing rooms, period, full stop.”

While urging her prospective colleagues to be “kind” to her when she enters Congress in January, McBride seemed to recognize that the legislation specifically targeted her arrival.

“Every day Americans go to work with people who have life journeys different than their own and engage with them respectfully, I hope members of Congress can muster that same kindness,” she said in a post on X.

“This is an obvious effort by far-right radicals to divert attention from the reality that they lack practical answers to the problems that Americans face. Instead of creating cultural warfare, we should concentrate on lowering the cost of housing, healthcare, and child care.

“Delawareans sent me here to make the American dream more affordable and accessible and that’s what I’m focused on.”

There is no proof that transgender women or persons are a greater risk to toilet safety, according to several research and evaluations.

According to the 2015 U.S. Transgender Survey, the biggest survey of its type, 12 percent of 27,715 transgender respondents said they had experienced verbal harassment while using the toilet throughout the year. Additionally, 9% of respondents stated they had been refused entrance to a facility, and 59% said they avoided public restrooms out of fear of potential conflict.

Additionally, the study found that 47% of participants had experienced sexual assault at some time in their lives, and 9% had experienced physical abuse during the year due to their gender identity.

According to surveys, Americans are split on particular legislation but generally support shielding transgender individuals from discrimination.

About 80% of respondents to a May 2022 Pew Research Center study of 10,188 American adults said that transgender persons face prejudice, and most of them agreed that they should be shielded from it in “jobs, housing, and public spaces.”