Sarah McBride Will “Follow the Rules.” Girl, Why?

Greetings, Meteor readers,

It’s been a difficult week for anyone following the news cycle. That could apply to every week this year, but these last few days have really had some extra bad umph in them. Please do something this weekend to catch your breath.

In today’s newsletter, Bailey Wayne Hundl walks us through the ongoing bathroom battle between Rep. Sarah McBride and her GOP colleagues. Plus more trouble brewing in the land of Trump appointees and your weekend reading list.

Inhaling and exhaling,

Shannon Melero

WHAT’S GOING ON

You gotta fight for your rights: As you may have heard, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) announced a new policy yesterday: On Capitol Hill, only some women will be allowed to use the women’s restroom. The announcement follows the introduction by Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) of a bathroom bill targeting Sarah McBride, the first openly transgender person elected to serve in Congress. McBride responded to the policy on social media, writing, “I’m not here to fight about bathrooms…I will follow the rules as outlined by Speaker Johnson, even if I disagree with them.”

And as a trans person reading this, I guess I’m just wondering…girl, why?

Some have interpreted Rep. McBride’s response as a strategic refusal to be baited into a time-wasting debate. But I happen to believe that the fight for trans people to participate in public life is one that should be faced head-on. I used to work in churches; I’ve been on the receiving end of a lot of bullshit policies. And even if they only affected me, I always fought like hell against them—because I knew that if transphobes scored a win against me, they had a chance to do the same to anyone who came after me.

Rep. McBride is not just accepting a loss for herself here. Every trans staffer on the Hill just lost the ability to use the restroom at work, and in fact, Rep. Mace has already filed a bill extending the policy to all bathrooms in federal buildings across the country.

I want to be so clear: The people who should be fighting against this the hardest are McBride’s allies, on her behalf. And to their (middling) credit, several Democrats have spoken out against the policy—but, unlike the Republicans, they’re not doing anything.

“But Bailey, what can they even do?” Something! Anything! McBride could use the women’s restroom anyway. Her allies could use the wrong bathroom in solidarity. Perhaps easiest of all, McBride or her allies could make a public announcement that their private office bathroom is open for any trans staffers to use. This is more important than ever at a time when Democratic leadership is considering dialing down their support for trans people (and some already have). I’m so sick of the learned helplessness Democrats seem to have adopted in the face of rising, unchecked hatred.

The day after the election, I wrote about McBride’s win, saying, “It is nice to know that the next time a legislator in a room full of people suggests ‘hey, let’s kill the transes,’ someone will be in that room to say no.” It didn’t occur to me the strategy might be instead: “I may disagree with you killing us, but I will do nothing to stop it.”

—Bailey Wayne Hundl

AND:

• Today the International Criminal Court officially issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defense minister Yoav Gallant on charges of “starvation as a method of warfare and crimes against humanity of murder, persecution, and other inhumane acts.” Both men are also charged with intentionally targeting attacks on civilian populations, which is a war crime. At least 44,000 people have been killed in Gaza; more than half of those people were women and children. The court has also issued a warrant for Mohammed Deif, a Hamas leader, for his role in coordinating the October 7th attack in which militants killed more than 1,200 people in Israel.

• You are probably sick of hearing about Trump’s wacko appointments, but let’s briefly talk about co-founder of the WWE Linda McMahon, who has been tapped to lead the Department of Education. Is she qualified? No. Is she another Trump loyalist being put in a position of power to blindly carry out his agenda? Yes. Is she tied to any sexual abuse allegations like her potential future co-workers Pete Hegseth, RFK Jr., Elon Musk, and Donald Trump? Also yes! McMahon was named in a lawsuit for enabling the sexual abuse of children during her time working at the WWE. McMahon’s estranged husband, Vince McMahon, is also up to his eyeballs in allegations of assault, sex trafficking, and paying out millions of dollars in hush money to victims. It’s dark in here.

• Let’s move towards the light, shall we? Yesterday, abortion rights champion Cecile Richards was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, by President Biden. During a speech about Richards, who is undergoing brain cancer treatment and recently cofounded Abortion in America, Biden called her a “leader of utmost character” who has “carved an inspiring legacy that endures in her incredible family, the countless lives she has made better, and a nation seeking the light of equality, justice, and freedom.”

• After 111 Texas OB/GYNs sent a public letter to lawmakers asking them to change the state’s abortion ban, stating it “does not allow us as medical professionals to do our jobs,” state Democrats have filed bills that could create new exceptions to the state’s restrictive ban. The bills would give doctors more leeway to make life-saving decisions rather than sending women home to die (though they would face an uphill struggle in the Republican-controlled legislature).

• This Saturday, the Orlando Pride will head off against the Washington Spirit for the NWSL championship. It’s sure to be a barnburner with living legend Marta looking to grab one more trophy before potentially retiring from the league.

WEEKEND READING 📚

On motherhood: Sometimes it’s feral! Filmmaker Marielle Heller and her film Nightbitch give moms permission to lean into their inner animal.  (The New Yorker)

On survival: A new and painful word has entered the villa. “Broligarchy” is the collection of bros preparing to run the U.S. for the next four years. Here are some tips to make it through. (The Power, on Substack)

On the hunger of belonging: An Armenian writer reflects on the kaleidoscopic meaning of her family’s mulukhiyah recipes. (Longreads)

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