House Speaker Mike Johnson on Tuesday refused to say whether Sarah McBride, who is set to be the first openly transgender representative, is a man or a woman, or respond to if he backs Rep. Nancy Mace's resolution to ban trans women from women's bathrooms in the Capitol.
"Mr. Speaker, is freshman-elect Sarah McBride a man or a woman?" a reporter asked the Speaker of the House.
"Look, I'm not going to get into this," Johnson responded. "We welcome all new members with open arms who are duly elected representatives of the people."
"I believe it's a command that we treat all persons with dignity and respect, and we will," the Louisiana representative continued. "And I'm not going to engage in silly debates about this."
Johnson added that Congress will address "in deliberate fashion" the use of restrooms and other facilities with member consensus, vowing that Congress "accommodate the needs of every single person."
Johnson refused to address Mace's anti-transgender bathroom resolution, which she confirmed is a response to McBride, who is set to enter Congress in January.
"I'm not going to engage in this," Johnson said. "We don't look down upon anyone. We treat everybody with dignity and respect.""That's a principle that I've pursued my whole life, and we will take care of this issue of first impression for Congress, as we will any other thing," the Speaker concluded.
