House Speaker Mike Johnson, center, accompanied by House Majority Whip Rep. Tom Emmer of Minnesota, left, and House Majority Leader Rep. Steve Scalise of Louisiana, speaks during a news conference Tuesday on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. (Andrew Harnik / Getty Images)
By Randy DeSoto November 19, 2024 at 1:37pm
House Speaker Mike Johnson would not say Tuesday morning whether incoming transgender House member Sarah McBride of Delaware is a man or a woman.
But he came back later in the day to correct himself after getting some strong feedback from social media — and, no doubt, fellow Republican House members.
McBride, formerly known as Tim McBride, is a man who identifies as a woman, making him the first transgender person elected to Congress.
Johnson’s reticence to address the issue squarely at first is troubling.
During a Capitol Hill news conference, he was asked, “Is freshman-elect Sarah McBride a man or a woman?”
“Look, I’m not going to get into this. We welcome all new members with open arms who are duly elected representatives of the people,” the speaker answered.
“I believe it’s a command. We treat all persons with dignity and respect, and we will. I’m not going to engage in silly debates about this,” he added.
Q: “Is freshman-elect Sarah McBride a man or a woman?”@SpeakerJohnson: “Look, I’m not going to get into this…We treat all persons with dignity and respect. We will. I’m not going to engage is silly debates about this. There’s a concern about uses of restroom facilities…” pic.twitter.com/fMtlV3hYxW
— CSPAN (@cspan) November 19, 2024
Do you approve of Mike Johnson?
On the one hand, I can appreciate Johnson’s predicament. He is the speaker for all House lawmakers, and as a professing Christian, he wants to treat everybody with respect.
He alluded to the Golden Rule, articulated by Jesus Christ: in short, treat others as you would like to be treated.
But Jesus also said, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
And regarding gender, Jesus referenced the creation account in Genesis, stating the truth: “Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female?”
He spoke those words during the height of the Roman Empire, when all kinds of notions of sex and gender were going around.
— Chip Roy (@chiproytx) November 19, 2024
Anyway, so Johnson got some feedback, including from fellow Republican lawmakers and maybe even from beyond Capitol Hill, because later in the day, he made his view on gender abundantly plain.
“I just want to make a statement for all of you and be very clear,” he told reporters. “I was asked a question this morning at the leadership gaggle, and I rejected the premise, because the answer is so obvious.”
“… Let me be unequivocally clear. A man is a man, and a woman is a woman. And a man cannot become a woman,” Johson said. “That’s what scripture teaches, what I just said.”
BREAKING: Speaker Mike Johnson just said the most savage thing he’s ever said
“Let me be unequivocally clear. A man is a man, and a woman is a woman. And a man cannot become a woman.”
This means Congressman Sarah McBride will NOT be allowed to use the women’s bathroom. pic.twitter.com/kj6FwjMWH2
— George (@BehizyTweets) November 19, 2024
“But I also believe we treat everybody with dignity, and so we can do and believe all those things at the same time,” he argued. “And I wanted to make that clear to everybody because there’s lots of questions. That’s where I stand. I stood there my whole life, and those are facts.”
Christina Pushaw, who works for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, responded to Johnson’s initial non-answer, posting on X, “He knows the answer to the question. Stating the truth, that a man is still a man even if he chooses to present in a feminine way, is not disrespectful. Treating everyone with dignity does not require dishonesty.”
During his first press briefing, Johnson would also not say how the issue of bathrooms and locker rooms will be handled.
“This is an issue that Congress has never had to address before” he stated. “We’re going to do that in a deliberate fashion, with member consensus on it, and we will accommodate the needs of every single person.”
The Hill reported Tuesday that GOP Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina wants it made clear in the House rules package for the upcoming Congress that “no men are in women’s private spaces.”
Many Republicans, including President-elect Donald Trump, campaigned on the issue of keeping men out of women’s sports, bathrooms, and locker rooms.
Q: “Is freshman-elect Sarah McBride a man or a woman?”@SpeakerJohnson: “Look, I’m not going to get into this…We treat all persons with dignity and respect. We will. I’m not going to engage is silly debates about this. There’s a concern about uses of restroom facilities…” pic.twitter.com/fMtlV3hYxW
— CSPAN (@cspan) November 19, 2024
Johnson and the Republicans need to take action on this, starting with the rules governing Capitol Hill.
Randy DeSoto has written more than 3,000 articles for The Western Journal since he began with the company in 2015. He is a graduate of West Point and Regent University School of Law. He is the author of the book “We Hold These Truths” and screenwriter of the political documentary “I Want Your Money.”
Birthplace
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Nationality
American
Honors/Awards
Graduated dean’s list from West Point
Education
United States Military Academy at West Point, Regent University School of Law
Books Written
We Hold These Truths
Professional Memberships
Virginia and Pennsylvania state bars
Location
Phoenix, Arizona
Languages Spoken
English
Topics of Expertise
Politics, Entertainment, Faith
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