Trans rights activists arrested in House building during bathroom ban protest

• McBride is set to become the first openly transgender member of Congress.
• Johnson said in a statement outlining his policy that "All single-sex facilities in the Capitol and House Office Buildings (like restrooms, changing rooms, and locker rooms) are reserved only for individuals of that biological sex."
• The protesters were arrested for illegally protesting in the building in violation of Washington, D.C., code against crowding, obstructing or incommoding, a Capitol Police spokesperson told Axios.

Driving the news: Former soldier and U.S. Army whistleblower Chelsea Manning was among the trans rights protesters who were arrested amid a sit-in at a bathroom in Cannon House Office Building near Johnson's office, according to multiple reports.

• Those arrested have been released, said a representative for the Gender Liberation Movement, the grassroots group that organized the sit-in.

Zoom in: Protesters held a large sign that read "FLUSH BATHROOM BIGOTRY" and chanted, "Speaker Johnson! Nancy Mace! Our bodies are no debate!" per reports from the scene.

• They also called on Democrats to speak up, chanting, "Democrats, grow a spine! Trans rights are on the line."
• GLM said in a statement that the protest "sets an example of the righteous defiance and solidarity needed under a second Trump administration."
• "Everyone deserves to use the restroom without fear of discrimination or violence. Trans folks are no different. We deserve dignity and respect and we will fight until we get it," said GLM co-founder and writer Raquel Willis, who was also present at the protest.
• Survivors of sexual violence also attended the sit-in, the organization said in its statement, to demand "anti-trans bigots stop spreading disinformation about trans people who are disproportionately the victims of violence not perpetrators of it."

South Carolina Rep. Mace responded with a video posted to X, megaphone in hand. She used a derogatory term to refer to the trans people and read the Miranda warning through the device, stopping to say "I doubt many of you can" afford an attorney.

• The South Carolina Republican pushed for Johnson to include her resolution, which puts the chamber's sergeant-at-arms in charge of enforcing the rule, in the rules for the 119th House.

Zoom out: McBride has said she is not coming to the Hill to "fight about bathrooms" and will remain focused on her mission — and has counseled her colleagues to do the same, Axios' Andrew Solender reports.

• "This is not just bigotry, this is just plain bullying," Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) said in response to Mace's resolution.

State of play: The protest came just a day after the Supreme Court heard oral arguments over a divisive case for trans youth. The court seemed to likely to side with a Tennessee law that bans gender-affirming care for minors.

• While U.S. medical authorities largely affirm that treatments like puberty blockers and hormone therapy are safe, nearly 40% of transgender youth live in states that have passed bans on gender-affirming care, per the Human Rights Campaign.
• The culture war chaos, which has very real implications for transgender Americans, has reached new levels with President-elect Trump's election win after a campaign run in part on a vow to roll back protections for trans people.

Go deeper: Congress erupts over bill targeting new transgender member

Editor's note: This story has been updated with comment from Rep. Nancy Mace, more details of the arrests and additional context.