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The congresswoman appeared to be taken by surprise by the protest and was seen wandering the halls of the Senate, a different building than the protestors, holding a bullhorn.
On Thursday, transgender activists, including prominent advocate Chelsea Manning, staged a sit-in at the United States Capitol to protest a new bathroom ban announced by House Speaker Mike Johnson at the urging of Congresswoman Nancy Mace. The ban, which appears to target Congresswoman-elect Sarah McBride—the first transgender congresswoman in U.S. history—also applies to transgender visitors, staffers, and journalists who frequent Capitol grounds. The surprise protest, which caught Republican leaders off guard, sparked an inflammatory response from Mace, who stood outside a police facility with a bullhorn and referred to the protesters as “tr***y protestors,” using a long-recognized slur against transgender individuals.
Related: Chelsea Manning and Raquel Willis among 15 arrested at U.S. Capitol during bathroom sit-in
Protesters from the Gender Liberation Movement, inspired by Civil Rights Movement demonstrations of the 1960s and ACT UP protests of the 1980s and 90s, gathered both inside and outside a bathroom near Speaker Johnson’s office. Holding signs emblazoned with slogans like “FLUSH BATHROOM BIGOTRY” and “CONGRESS STOP PISSING ON OUR RIGHTS,” they demanded an end to discriminatory policies targeting transgender people. Reporters on the scene, including Pablo Manríquez, noted that protesters were threatened with arrest for “sexual misconduct.” While arrests did occur, including the arrest of notable civil rights activist and whistleblower Chelsea Manning, no sexual misconduct charges were ultimately filed. All protesters were released later that day.
The demonstration appeared to catch Mace and other Republicans by surprise, forcing some to scramble or reroute around the sit-in. While Mace seemed to have some forewarning—a mass congressional email earlier in the day revealed she had asked fellow congressmembers to borrow a bullhorn—her response during the protest was perplexing. According to HuffPost reporters Jennifer Bendery and Arthur Delaney, Mace was seen wandering the halls of the Senate building, bullhorn in hand. The Senate, of course, is a completely separate branch of Congress and a different building from where the protest occurred.
Shortly after, Mace shared a video to her public account, standing in front of a door marked “Police,” holding the bullhorn, and shouting at the protestors. In the video, she used a widely recognized slur for transgender people, saying, “Some tra**ny protestors showed up at the Capitol today to protest my bathroom bill, but they got arrested, poor things.” She then mockingly recited the Miranda rights, pausing at the line about not being able to afford an attorney to turn to the camera and sneer, “I doubt many of you could.”
The protest and Mace's inflammatory response occurred just a day after the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments in United States v. Skrmetti, a pivotal case that will shape the future of transgender rights nationwide. During the proceedings, attorneys from the ACLU and the U.S. government addressed the historical and ongoing discrimination faced by transgender individuals. Mace's actions—proposing bathroom bans targeting transgender people and employing slurs against them—could be perceived as clear evidence of animus, leading to discriminatory policies. Notably, her use of an official government account to disseminate such statements may serve as evidence of unconstitutional bias and discriminatory intent in future legal challenges to the anti-trans laws she supports.
"I'm here today because every person deserves dignity and respect, both in daily life and in more symbolic places like the U.S. Capitol," said Manning in a statement in the aftermath of her arrest. "As someone who has fought against similar rules, I know what it's like to feel pushed aside and erased. But I also know the incredible power and resilience our community has. I'm not here as a leader or a spokesperson but simply as another member of my community who shows up unconditionally to support my siblings in this fight. I will stand beside them no matter what. We didn’t start this fight, but we are together now."
This article originally appeared on Erin in the Morning.
