After Delaware elected the first openly transgender member of Congress earlier this month, a Republican introduced a bill aiming to bar her from using the bathroom aligned with her gender identity. South Carolina Republican Nancy Mace proposed the legislation, which comes just under two months before Sarah McBride is set to be sworn in as the first openly transgender member of Congress. According to The Hill, the bill would task the House sergeant-at-arms with enforcement, though the exact methods remain unclear.
“Sarah McBride doesn’t get a say. I mean, this is a biological man,” Mace told reporters on Monday, according to CNN. She went on to say McBride “does not belong in women’s spaces, women’s bathrooms, locker rooms, changing rooms, period, full stop.”
McBride responded on X, calling the matter a distraction.
“Everyday Americans work alongside people whose life journeys differ from their own and interact with them respectfully. I hope members of Congress can show that same kindness,” she wrote.
“This is a blatant attempt by far-right extremists to distract from their lack of real solutions to the challenges Americans face. We should be focusing on lowering the cost of housing, healthcare, and childcare—not manufacturing culture wars. Delawareans sent me here to make the American dream more affordable and accessible, and that’s what I’m focused on.”
During the final stages of his 2024 campaign, many of Donald Trump’s advertisements also focused on transgender rights. One high-profile ad criticised Kamala Harris for her 2019 support of gender-affirming care and included the tagline, “Kamala is for they/them, President Trump is for you.” NPR reported that the Trump campaign spent at least $17 million on the ad. Trump defenders on the other hand have pointed out that the ad wasn’t aimed at trans people but at the left’s obssession with pronouns.
Mace was once viewed as a moderate Republican representing a competitive district in South Carolina. In 2021, she supported a bill offering limited protections for LGBTQ+ individuals in public life.
“I strongly support LGBTQ rights and equality,” Mace told the Washington Examiner at the time. “No one should be discriminated against.”
However, after Republicans redrew her district to make it more safely Republican, she shifted significantly further to the right. Earlier this year, the US Supreme Court upheld the gerrymandering of her district as legal, despite a lower court’s finding that Republicans had effectively engaged in “bleaching” by removing 30,000 Black voters from the district.
On Monday, Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene also misgendered McBride in a now-viral video where she voiced support for Mace’s bill.
“I support a resolution that keeps all biological men out of women’s bathrooms, locker rooms, and private spaces—not only in the Capitol complex and office buildings but all taxpayer-funded facilities,” Greene said.
When asked how such rules might be enforced, especially concerning McBride’s position as an openly transgender member of Congress, Greene responded, “Which is a man. He’s a man. He’s a biological male. So he is not allowed to use our women’s restrooms, our women’s gym, our locker rooms, and spaces specified for women. He’s got plenty of places he can go.”
Mace’s actions have faced widespread criticism, viewed by many as part of a broader “culture war” strategy by some Republicans, centred on transgender rights. Critics, including McBride, have described the legislation as a divisive distraction from addressing pressing issues such as housing, healthcare, and childcare costs. Mace’s shift from a moderate stance to more conservative positions has been noted, particularly following redistricting that made her South Carolina district more securely Republican.
This controversy forms part of a larger narrative involving increasing legislation and rhetoric targeting transgender rights across the United States, including restrictions on bathroom access and participation in sports. Prominent Republicans, such as Marjorie Taylor Greene, have echoed similar sentiments, using McBride’s election to bolster their opposition to transgender inclusion.
The issue has further highlighted the deeply polarised debate surrounding LGBTQ+ rights and its role in political strategies ahead of the 2024 elections.
Who is Nancy Mace?
Nancy Mace has served as the Republican congresswoman for South Carolina’s 1st congressional district since 2021. Born on 4 December 1977 in Fort Bragg, North Carolina, she made history in 1999 as the first woman to graduate from The Citadel’s Corps of Cadets programme. Before her time in Congress, Mace served in the South Carolina House of Representatives from 2018 to 2020. She is known for her fiscally conservative views and her support for conservation efforts. In November 2024, she introduced a bill aimed at restricting bathroom access for transgender individuals within the Capitol complex, specifically targeting Sarah McBride.
Who is Sarah McBride?
Sarah McBride, born on 9 August 1990 in Wilmington, Delaware, is a Democratic politician and LGBTQ+ rights activist. She earned her bachelor’s degree from American University in 2013 and has been a prominent advocate for transgender rights. In 2020, McBride made history as the first openly transgender state senator in the United States after her election to the Delaware State Senate. In November 2024, she was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, representing Delaware’s at-large congressional district, becoming the first openly transgender member of Congress. Throughout her career, McBride has focused on issues including healthcare access, reproductive rights, and LGBTQ+ equality.
How the Trans issue became the Dem’s bugbear
The culture war over transgender rights has emerged as a flashpoint in US politics, with Democrats finding themselves in a precarious position. While the party’s progressive base champions LGBTQ+ equality, including transgender rights, Republican attacks have weaponized the issue to energize their own voters and drive wedges between Democrats and key swing constituencies.
Trump’s campaign has also leaned heavily into this strategy, spending millions on advertisements that mock Democrats’ focus on pronouns and gender-affirming care. These attacks are not aimed at transgender individuals per se but at portraying the left as overly focused on niche cultural issues, alienating moderate and independent voters. Polls consistently show that many Americans remain uncomfortable or divided over policies like gender-affirming care for minors or the participation of transgender women in women’s sports—positions Democrats overwhelmingly support.
This dynamic poses a challenge for Democrats. While their stance aligns with progressive values and human rights, it risks being framed as prioritizing ideology over the bread-and-butter issues voters care about, such as healthcare, housing, and the economy. McBride herself alluded to this, calling Republican attacks a “blatant distraction” from pressing national challenges.
The culture war rhetoric also deepens divisions within the Democratic Party. Moderates fear alienating suburban voters, particularly women, who might otherwise lean Democratic but harbor reservations about certain aspects of transgender rights. Conversely, progressive Democrats argue that compromising on these issues would betray the party’s commitment to equality and justice.
Ultimately, Republicans have used the trans rights debate to define Democrats on unfavorable terms, diverting attention from more popular Democratic policies. If Democrats cannot reframe the narrative—focusing on inclusivity while addressing voters’ core economic concerns—they risk losing ground in battleground districts where cultural issues resonate. As the 2024 elections loom, the question remains whether Democrats can effectively counter these attacks or if the culture war over trans rights will continue to erode their support.
