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Two high-ranking members of the Democratic Party announced their support for installing more gender-neutral restrooms in the halls of Congress.
Rep. Katherine Clark (D-MA), the assistant speaker of the House, and Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), the House Democratic Caucus chairman, implored House Administration Committee Chairwoman Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) to get her committee behind the effort to ensure “members of the transgender, gender nonconforming, and disability communities” are able to access “safe and comfortable restrooms” on Capitol Hill.
“According to the 2015 U.S Transgender Survey, 12% of respondents reported that they have been harassed, attacked or sexually assaulted in a bathroom in the last year,” the two lawmakers wrote in a Wednesday letter. “Additionally, 59% of respondents said they have avoided bathrooms because they feared confrontations in public restrooms, at work, school or other places.”
“Implementing single-use restrooms will make a visible difference in the lives of transgender and gender non-conforming individuals, as well as other marginalized communities,” they continued. “As lawmakers, we can more effectively represent our constituents when our staff and interns reflect the diversity of the American people. However, absent improvements, we in Congress are limiting our ability to hire and retain individuals who belong to these communities.”
BIDEN SLAMS ‘DANGEROUS ANTI-TRANSGENDER LEGISLATIVE ATTACKS’ FROM GOP
Their support for gender-neutral bathrooms drew praise from the LGBT Congressional Staff Association, according to a statement posted on Clark’s congressional website.
“As an organization that seeks to improve the experience of our transgender and gender non-conforming members, we are keenly aware that the existence of these spaces is critical to creating a safe and inclusive environment for all Hill staffers,” John Martin, the organization’s president, said. “We deeply appreciate [Clark’s and Jeffries’s] leadership on this issue, and we look forward to partnering with them to make gender-neutral bathrooms a reality on the Hill.”
Rep. Rodney Davis (R-IL), the ranking member of the House Administration Committee, chastised Clark’s and Jeffries’s letter.
“This is just the latest example of House Democrats’ misplaced priorities,” Davis told the Washington Examiner. “With soaring gas prices, baby formula shortages, rising crime, and a border crisis, this is what they choose to focus on.”
“The American People are tired of it, as Democrats will learn the hard way come November,” he added.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Clark has long been a proponent of installing more gender-neutral bathrooms in Congress. During an April 2021 hearing before the House Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress, Clark urged the committee to ensure the “availability of gender-neutral [restroom] facilities across the Capitol Complex” and testified that “our gender nonbinary and gender nonconforming staff and visitors ought to be able to have access to facilities in all our buildings that are safe and reflective of their needs.”
There is one single-use restroom in the basement of one Capitol Hill office building, while those working in two other buildings “must leave their buildings and, in some cases, walk outside to find a safe and comfortable restroom to use,” according to Clark.
