U.S. Capitol Police arrested former military intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning and approximately 15 other transgender rights activists Thursday during a protest of new House rules requiring individuals to use bathrooms matching their biological sex in the Capitol complex.
The demonstrators, staging a sit-in at the Cannon House Office Building, were charged with “Crowding, Obstructing, or Incommoding” under D.C. Code § 22–1307, according to Capitol Police. Protesters displayed banners reading “Flush Bathroom Bigotry” and “Congress Stop Pissing On Our Rights.”
The protest targeted House Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R-La.) recent rule change and a resolution introduced by Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) seeking to ban transgender women from female facilities. The debate intensified following the election of Rep.-elect Sarah McBride (D-Del.), who will become Congress’s first openly transgender member when sworn in next month.
Manning, 36, previously served seven years of a 35-year sentence for leaking classified information to WikiLeaks before receiving a commutation from President Barack Obama in 2017. Manning transitioned while in military prison.
“Progressive politics is the most regressive threat to women. They just keep proving our point,” said Gabrielle Lipsky, spokesperson for Rep. Mace, arguing the protesters “definitely should have been apprehended” under new House rules.
nypost.com
