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"It defies understanding, except for the fact that it's a pretty obvious part of a politics of misdirection and distraction," McBride said of Republicans' proposed federal anti-trans legislation.
The very first bill listed as a priority for early votes during the next U.S. congressional session is a bill targeting transgender people — a move that has "mystified" Sarah McBride and her fellow Democrats.
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The first out trans member of Congress is calling into question Republicans' priorities as they begin the current session by pushing policies targeting 0.6 percent of the population, calling out the GOP's first rules package for the 119th Congress — which includes several provisions stripping away trans people's rights at a federal level.
“I've had conversations with colleagues about many of the bills that are coming before us, and certainly have heard from some colleagues who, like me, are mystified that this is a priority for a Republican conference that is entering a Republican trifecta, that this is an issue that they prioritize,” McBride recently told The Independent. “And it defies understanding, except for the fact that it's a pretty obvious part of a politics of misdirection and distraction.”
The first bill Republicans plan to bring to vote this year would mandate that Title IX be complied with based on “biological sex" — though it does not define “biological sex" — potentially impacting trans people’s access to bathrooms, locker rooms, and protections from discrimination under the law. The GOP is also seeking to ban trans girls from participating in women's sports, and to amend the legal definition of “sex” to being "based solely on a person’s reproductive biology and genetics at birth."
Ahead of the session, Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson has quietly implemented a rule mandating that single-sex facilities — restrooms, locker rooms, and changing rooms — be used solely based on a person’s gender assigned at birth. It was not included in the high-profile House rules package debated and voted on last week, and instead delegates authority to Johnson by giving him “general control” over House facilities. Johnson has not said how the policy will be enforced.
The Capitol Hill bathroom ban was first proposed by Republican Rep. Nancy Mace, who admitted she was specifically targeting McBride. Mace later publicly used slurs against trans activists peacefully protesting her ban.
The GOP's insistence on pushing legislation targeting the trans community is not in line with their voters' stated priorities, as recent election exit polls indicate the biggest concerns were inflation, jobs, the economy, threats to democracy, abortion, and Project 2025.
The Advocate has contacted McBride's office for additional comment.
