Incoming Rep. Sarah McBride (D-Delaware), the first openly transgender person elected to Congress, will not be allowed to use the women's restrooms at the U.S. Capitol, House Speaker Mike Johnson ruled on Wednesday (November 20), the Daily Mail reports.

McBride, who is set to be sworn into office in January, will have to use the men's facilities after facing outrage from Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Georgia) and Nancy Mace (R-South Carolina).

"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 obtained by the Daily Mail. "It is important to note that each Member office has its own private restroom, and unisex restrooms are available throughout the Capitol,' he went on. 'Women deserve women’s only spaces."

McBride, a Delaware state senator and LGBTQ activist, defeated Republican John Whalen III, a construction company owner and former state trooper by a 57.7% to 42.3% margin, having raised more than $3 million in campaign contributions nationwide. The state senator previously made history by becoming the first openly transgender person to address a major party convention in the United States at the 2016 Democratic National Convention.

“Tonight is a testament to Delawareans that we have shown time and time again that in this state of neighbors, we judge candidates based on their ideas and not their identities,” McBride said during her acceptance speech on November 5 via the New York Post. “I didn’t run to make history. I ran to make a difference for my state and this country,” she added. “I think this is a powerful message that Delawareans are fair-minded and that our democracy is big enough for all of us.”

McBride gained a reputation for focusing on healthcare issues during her time as a state senator, which included sponsoring legislation that created statewide paid family and medical leave insurance program, as well as sponsoring legislation to address Medicaid reimbursement rates for home healthcare services and expand low-income Delawareans' access to dental care.

Terry Meiners