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 , is a 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?” : “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...
” — CSPAN (@cspan) 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, by Jesus Christ: in short, treat others as you would like to be trea.