Moment trans activists take over US Capitol’s bathroom in protest

More than two dozen transgender protesters staged a demonstration in the women’s bathroom at the US Capitol.

Transgender activists staged a protest in the women’s bathrooms in the US Capitol against the congressional ban on trans people using the bathrooms of their choice.

The takeover happened in Washington DC, as the Supreme Court considers the constitutionality of a Tennessee law that denies transgender minors access to gender-affirming care.

Republicans have seemingly gained confidence from Donald Trump’s presidential election victory, and South Carolina Representative Nancy Mace has introduced a bill to prevent transgender women from using female bathrooms on Capitol Hill.

Last month, House Speaker Mike Johnson ruled that the first transgender member of Congress won’t be able to use women’s bathrooms – a decision that will shake the Capitol.

Sarah McBride, newly elected and set to become the first openly transgender politician when sworn into office in January, will be required to use the men’s facilities.

As the Supreme Court heard the most high-profile case of its term on Wednesday, transgender activists decided to stage a dance number takeover of the Capitol building’s women’s bathroom.

The group included trans actress James Rose, who danced to Meeting in the Ladies Room by Klymaxx.

The video of the demonstration opens with a shot of the entrance of the Capitol building, then pans to a nearby rest room filled with a dancing group of trans, non-binary, and cisgender people.

Some wore shirts in the colours of the transgender pride flag – pink, blue, and white – featuring the messages, ‘Flush the Hate, Not Our Rights’ and ‘Trans People Are NOT Dangerous. You Are!’

The other activists were non-binary influencer Jerome Trammel, comedian Elizabeth Booker-Houston, influencer Alexis Rose, transgender model June Raven Romero, and activist Hope Giselle-Godsey.

Of the 25 demonstrators, about 15 were arrested for illegally protesting.

Trans protesters have staged a demonstration on Capitol Hill. Picture: Instagram

They are protesting the bathroom ban for the first openly trans member. Picture: Instagram

“We understand the weight of what it means to be a pariah in our society, so doing what’s necessary is never too hard. It always starts with things that people feel are insignificant, like public rest rooms, but it never stops there,” Giselle-Godsey told Gaye Magazine.

“We’re here today to ensure they understand that we will not be erased – one bathroom at a time – or shoved back into the proverbial closet out of deference to the comfort of those who speak to eradicate us.”

Supporters praised the clip, saying they admired the group’s brave antics.

“I’m going to be disappointed every time I enter a public rest room and don’t see dancing,” one person remarked.

“I would choose the bathroom over encountering a man alone on the street any day,” another person stated.

A third person added, “No MAGA supporters were harmed during the use of the rest room or the filming of this video.”

15 were arrested for illegally protesting. Picture: Instagram

Mace’s bathroom proposal sparked a heated debate on Capitol Hill, with Delaware Democratic Representative-elect McBride accusing Republicans of using the issue as a “distraction” tactic.

In response to a question about her stance on allowing the first trans member of Congress to use women’s bathrooms, the South Carolina Republican replied, “If being a feminist makes me an extremist, I’m totally here for it.

“I’m a victim of abuse myself. I’m a rape survivor. I have PTSD from the abuse I’ve suffered at the hands of a man, and I know how vulnerable women and girls are in private spaces.

“So I’m absolutely, 100 per cent going to stand in the way of any man who wants to be in a women’s bathrooms, in our locker rooms, [or] in our changing rooms.”