During a Tuesday hearing of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Europe, Chairman Keith Self (R-TX) recognized Rep. Sarah McBride (D-DE), the first openly transgender member of Congress, as Mr. McBride.
“I now recognize the representative from Delaware, Mr. McBride,” he said.
McBride immediately shot back. “Thank you Madam Chair.” She then proceeded with her prepared remarks.
She was interrupted by Ranking Member Rep. Bill Keating (D-MA) who turned to Self and asked, “Mr. Chairman, could you repeat your introduction again please?”
Self replied, “We have set the standard on the floor of the House and I’m simply —”
Self was referring to a similar incident that occurred last month when Rep. Mary Miller (R-IL) recognized McBride as “the gentleman from Delaware, Mr. McBride.”
In any case, he was abruptly cut off by Keating, who was quickly losing patience. “What is that standard, Mr. Chairman? Would you repeat what you just said when you introduced a duly-elected representative from the United States of America? Please!”
“I will,” Self replied quite matter-of-factly. “The representative from Delaware, Mr. McBride.”
“Mr. Chairman, you are out of order. Mr. Chairman, have you no decency? I’ve come to know you a little bit, but this is not decent,” Keating said.
When Self tried to continue the hearing, Keating raised his voice and yelled, “You will not continue it with me unless you introduce a duly-elected representative the right way.”
With that, Self brought down his gavel and adjourned the hearing.
And that was the end of that.
Following the meeting, Self posted on X, “It is the policy of the United States to recognize two sexes, male and female.”
Self, of course, is right. But this is a difficult issue. I agree there are only two sexes, and that a biological male who presents as a woman is not, in fact, a woman. However, for the sake of civility—especially in an institution like Congress, where decorum is highly valued—wouldn’t it be simpler to just say “Ms. McBride” and move on?
As it happened, McBride fired back at Self and then carried on with her planned speech. So why couldn’t Keating have just let it go?
As I see it, transgenderism is a form of mental illness. And McBride, formerly Democratic state Sen. Tim McBride, is only fooling himself. But that doesn’t mean he should be ridiculed by his colleagues.
That said, I completely stood behind Rep. Nancy Mace’s efforts in November to ban McBride from the women’s bathrooms on Capitol Hill.
Transgenders should not be subjected to cruelty, but neither should the women on Capitol Hill be forced to share their private areas with a man.
House Speaker Mike Johnson resolved the issue with the following statement:
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. It is important to note that each Member office has its own private restroom, and unisex restrooms are available throughout the Capitol.Women deserve women’s only spaces.
Elizabeth writes commentary for The Washington Examiner. She is an academy fellow at The Heritage Foundation and a member of the Editorial Board at The Sixteenth Council, a London think tank. Please follow Elizabeth on X or LinkedIn.
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