WASHINGTON -- Yesterday, Speaker Mike Johnson announced that the House would institute a bathroom ban, blocking any trans or nonbinary member, staffer, intern, or visitor from using a bathroom that aligns with their gender identity. The announcement came after South Carolina GOP Rep. Nancy Mace announced a bathroom ban resolution, which she admitted was targeted specifically at Representative-elect Sarah McBride, who will become the first ever openly transgender member of Congress when she is sworn in in January. This cruel and discriminatory ban is meant purely to hurt people, and proves that the House GOP majority is more concerned with fighting culture wars than fighting for the American people.

Human Rights Campaign Kelley Robinson issued the following statement:

“This new cruel and discriminatory policy has nothing to do with helping the American people or addressing their priorities–it’s all about hurting people. It targets not just Rep.-elect McBride, but all trans and nonbinary people who work and visit the Capitol–public servants who have been working in the Capitol for years but are now suddenly the subject of cynical political games. Speaker Johnson has proven yet again that the Republican majority is more focused on culture wars than on the needs of the country.”

The Human Rights Campaign is America’s largest civil rights organization working to achieve equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people. HRC envisions a world where LGBTQ+ people are embraced as full members of society at home, at work and in every community.

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