A demonstration against a new Capitol Hill bathroom policy resulted in approximately 15 arrests on Thursday. The policy, which restricts transgender individuals from using restrooms aligned with their gender identity, prompted the "bathroom sit-in" near House Speaker Mike Johnson's office. The U.S. Capitol Police reported the arrests, citing charges related to crowding, obstruction, and unlawful protest within the Cannon House Office Building.
The Gender Liberation Movement, a grassroots organization advocating for bodily autonomy and gender rights, organized the protest. Their Instagram account featured a video of demonstrators holding signs against "bathroom bigotry," occupying a restroom, and obstructing a hallway.
Among those reportedly detained was Chelsea Manning, the former Army intelligence analyst known for leaking classified information to WikiLeaks. Manning's 35-year sentence for the 2013 leak was commuted by President Obama in 2017.
The bathroom policy was implemented by Speaker Johnson in November following Rep. Nancy Mace's efforts to restrict restroom access for transgender individuals. This action preceded the arrival of Rep.-elect Sarah McBride, the first openly transgender member of Congress, who is set to begin her term in January. McBride is a biological male who identifies as female.
Rep. Mace recently introduced a resolution to bar individuals assigned male at birth who identify as female from using women's restrooms in the Capitol. In a video posted on X, she is seen outside a Capitol Police station, using a bullhorn to read the Miranda rights to the arrested protesters.
