Rep. Sarah McBride isn’t mincing words after Texas GOP Rep. Keith Self misgendered her during a recent hearing, addressing her as “Mr. McBride.”
“I appear to live rent-free in the minds of some of my Republican colleagues,” said McBride, a transgender woman and the first openly trans member of Congress. McBride, who assumed office in January, represents Delaware in the House.
“I wish they would spend even a fraction of the time they spend thinking about me, thinking about how to lower costs for American families,” she said at House Democrats’ three-day policy conference in Leesburg, Va.
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Her frustration was evident as she addressed what she views as political distractions.
“They are obsessed with culture war issues,” she said. “It is weird, and it is bizarre.”
The incident with Self took place at a meeting of the Europe Subcommittee of the House Foreign Affairs on Tuesday. After Self referred to McBride as “Mr. McBride” and the “gentleman from Delaware,” McBride responded, “Thank you, Madam chair” before continuing her remarks.
But Rep. Bill Keating did not let the insult slide, saying Self was “out of order” and asking, “Mr. Chairman, have you no decency?” Self abruptly ended the hearing.
The controversy follows ongoing tensions in Congress over transgender issues. A handful of conservative female lawmakers have made banning transgender women from using ladies' restrooms a central issue, with Rep. Nancy Mace, a Republican from South Carolina, previously leading efforts on resolutions aimed at restricting transgender access to single-sex restrooms in the Capitol.
In November, House Speaker Mike Johnson instituted a rule banning transgender people from using single-sex bathrooms in the Capitol. He renewed the rule in January.
At the Democratic meeting, McBride argued that members across the aisle have been more focused on bullying tactics than legislating.
“The American people deserve serious legislators focused on delivering real results, not playing schoolyard games,” she said.
Self defended his comments, telling The Daily Wire, “I mean, he is allowed to live his life—in fact, I spent 25 years on active duty defending his right to live his life as he chooses. But I don’t have to participate in his fantasy.”
The Delaware Democrat has been a frequent target of GOP critics, with Rep. Lauren Boebert misidentifying a woman she thought was McBride in the ladies' restroom off the House floor, attempting to get her thrown out. She later apologized to the woman she reprimanded after realizing her mistake.
“I’m not here to fight about bathrooms. I’m here to fight for Delawareans and to bring down the costs facing families. Like all members, I will follow the rules outlined by Speaker Johnson, even if I disagree with them,” McBride said in a statement in November.
