Amid controversy over her proposed bathroom restrictions for transgender people in Congress, Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., said she is open to meeting with Rep.-elect Sarah McBride, D-Del., the first openly transgender lawmaker elected to the House, the Daily Mail reported.
Despite introducing legislation to bar transgender McBride from using women's restrooms, Mace has stated she is willing to meet.
"I have always been willing to work with anyone who will work with me," Mace told the Daily Mail when asked about her openness to a conversation with McBride.
McBride made history as the first openly transgender member of Congress, and her arrival has sparked heated debate.
Mace, citing her experience as a survivor of sexual assault, has been vocal about restricting Capitol restroom use to align with biological sex. Her proposed measure would task the Sergeant at Arms with enforcing the rule, which she argues is necessary to protect women's safety.
Mace's stance has drawn support and criticism, with Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., backing her proposal while Democrats and LGBTQ+ advocates denounce it as discriminatory.
"I voted for the Respect for Marriage Act, not once, but twice. I have sponsored and supported civil liberties protections for LGBTQ, but that's not what this is about. This is about somebody's pecker being in the bathroom or being in the dressing room with women, and we're already vulnerable as it is," Mace said.
McBride has not publicly responded to Mace's comments or the proposed legislation.
"There's a big difference between being pro-civil liberties and being pro-women. Women have rights, and we're not going to erase them," she said.
Critics argue that the policy would create confusion and could lead to harassment. "What Nancy Mace and Speaker Johnson are doing is endangering all women and girls," said Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y. "If you ask them how they plan to enforce this, they won't come up with an answer."
"All single-sex facilities in the Capitol and House Office Buildings — such as restrooms, changing rooms, and locker rooms — are reserved for individuals of that biological sex," Johnson said in a statement Wednesday.
"It is important to note that each Member office has its own private restroom, and unisex restrooms are available throughout the Capitol," he continued. "Women deserve women's only spaces."