California Democratic U.S. Rep. Robert Garcia forcefully condemned the Republican Party’s targeting of Delaware Rep.-elect Sarah McBride, the first out transgender person elected to Congress, accusing the GOP of manufacturing culture wars to distract from its failure to address real issues.
Keep up with the latest in LGBTQ+ news and politics. Sign up for The Advocate's email newsletter.
South Carolina Republican U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace admitted on Tuesday that a proposed resolution she released Monday to bar transgender women from using women’s restrooms in the U.S. Capitol was a direct response to McBride’s election. “Yes, and absolutely and then some,” Mace told reporters when asked if her measure targeted McBride. She added, “I’m absolutely 100 percent going to stand in the way of any man who wants to be in a women’s restroom, in our locker rooms, in our changing rooms. I will be there fighting you every step of the way.”
During a Tuesday afternoon appearance on MSNBC, Garcia didn’t mince words about the GOP’s behavior, calling it “vile” and “shameful.”
“I am disgusted by those vile comments and these efforts,” Garcia said. “Why we are focusing on singling out one member—one new member, a freshman member of this body now—and why we’re policing that person and where they use the restroom is shameful.”
Garcia is one of the most influential voices for equality and inclusion in Congress. On the same day that he fiercely defended McBride, who is set to make history again when she takes office in January, Garcia was elected Democratic Caucus Leadership Representative, a key leadership position amplifying the voices of newer members in party decision-making.
As the only LGBTQ+ member in caucus leadership, Garcia, who served as the president of the new class of Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives in his first term, will ensure that issues affecting the LGBTQ+ community remain at the forefront of Democratic priorities.
“We should push back on this disgusting rhetoric and actions,” Garcia said.
He lambasted the bathroom proposal as emblematic of the GOP’s focus on cultural attacks rather than substantive governance.
“Sarah McBride has the support of our entire caucus and clearly of the people of Delaware who sent her here to represent them,” Garcia said. “We should allow her to legislate. Instead, this is the kind of vile behavior that we should expect from the new Republican majority. They’re not talking about lowering the cost of groceries; they’re not talking about making housing more affordable—they’re policing where someone uses the restroom.”
For her part, McBride refused to let the attacks distract from her work. In a statement to The Advocate, she blasted the GOP’s obsession with culture wars while Americans face real challenges.
Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
“This is a blatant attempt from far-right extremists to distract from the fact that they have no real solutions to what Americans are facing,” McBride said. “We should be focused on bringing down the cost of housing, health care, and child care, 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.”
McBride’s election amid an otherwise disappointing election night for Democrats as President-elect Donald Trump emerged victorious was reason for celebration for LGBTQ+ advocates nationwide. As a state senator, she worked to pass bipartisan legislation, including LGBTQ+ protections and paid family leave.
Yet the GOP has made McBride a target. Mace’s resolution goes as far as assigning enforcement of restroom use based on “biological sex” to the House Sergeant-at-Arms. Georgia Republican U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene even escalated the rhetoric, threatening a “physical altercation” if trans women were allowed to use women’s restrooms.
The stakes of such rhetoric aren’t hypothetical. Garcia pointed to the rising fear and mental health challenges facing LGBTQ+ youth amid the GOP’s relentless attacks.
“We are seeing much more need to support young LGBTQ+ people,” Garcia said. “We’re seeing suicide hotline call volumes shoot up. Our organizations on the ground are receiving more and more people seeking help. This is actually having an impact on real lives.”
Garcia, who is the first out gay immigrant elected to Congress, said these hateful actions must be met with action and solidarity.
“We are here to protect and to fight for you,” he said, addressing LGBTQ+ youth and their families. “When you’re attacking gay kids, trans kids—these are children. They should not be bullied; they should not be attacked, and everyone of good conscience and goodwill should be standing up for them.”
He also expressed confidence in McBride’s ability to rise above the hate.
“We stand 100 percent behind Sarah, and she’s going to be an incredible legislator,” Garcia said.
Watch Rep. Robert Garcia’s interview with Nicole Wallace on MSNBC’s Deadline White House below.
- YouTubewww.youtube.com
