Activists Protest Capitol Hill Restroom Ban with 'Bathroom Sit-In' Near Mike Johnson's Office

On Thursday, transgender rights activists staged a "bathroom sit-in" in a restroom near House Speaker Mike Johnson's office on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., to protest a new policy that prohibits trans individuals from using bathrooms that correspond with their gender identity.

The U.S. Capitol Police informed Planet Chronicle Digital that approximately 15 individuals were detained on charges of overcrowding, impeding or inconveniencing for unlawfully demonstrating inside the Cannon House Office Building.

The Gender Liberation Movement, a grassroots organization that emphasizes bodily autonomy and gender, organized the protest.

Protesters occupied a restroom and blocked a hallway, as shown in a video posted on the group's Instagram account, calling for an end to "bathroom bigotry."

Chelsea Manning, a former U.S. Army intelligence analyst and whistleblower, was one of those being led away by authorities in zip ties. In 2013, Manning was sentenced to 35 years in prison for disclosing classified documents and military reports to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. The sentence was commuted by former President Obama in 2017, and Manning was released from prison after serving seven years.

In November, Johnson, a Republican from Louisiana, introduced a new bathroom policy after Mace, a Republican representative from South Carolina, attempted to prevent trans individuals from using restrooms that do not align with their gender assigned at birth.

Rep.-elect Sarah McBride, D-Del., who is a biological male who identifies and presents as a woman, will join Congress in January, marking the first openly transgender lawmaker in Congress.

On Thursday, Mace posted a video on X of herself standing outside a Capitol Police station, introducing a resolution to ban men who identify as female from women's restrooms on Capitol Hill.

Using a bullhorn, she read the Miranda rule to the protesters arrested.

Planet Chronicle Digital has reached out to Johnson's office.