Chelsea Manning and others arrested for protesting Republican trans bathroom ban

Chelsea Manning, the trans former US Army intelligence analyst turned infamous whistleblower, was part of a group of protestors arrested yesterday for advocating for trans rights in the US Capitol.

The protest took place outside House Speaker Mike Johnson’s office after he supported a GOP-led resolution to ban transgender women from using women’s bathrooms at the US Capitol.

Last month, Republican GOP representative Nancy Mace filed the resolution to prevent transgender women using women’s bathrooms in what appeared to be a direct response to Democratic Rep.-elect Sarah McBride becoming the first out transgender woman elected to Congress.

The protest was organised by the Gender Liberation Movement (GLM) whose co-founder Raquel Willis was also amongst the group of approximately 15 people detained.

“As someone who has fought against similar rules, I know what it’s like to feel pushed aside and erased”

Speaking to CNN, Manning said: “I’m here today because every person deserves dignity and respect, both in daily life and in more symbolic places like the U.S. Capitol.”

“As someone who has fought against similar rules, I know what it’s like to feel pushed aside and erased,” Manning continued. “But I also know the incredible power and resilience our community has. I’m not here as a leader or a spokesperson but simply as another member of my community who shows up unconditionally to support my siblings in this fight. I will stand beside them no matter what. We didn’t start this fight, but we are together now.”

Manning was famously convicted of stealing 750,000 pages of classified documents and videos and disseminating them to WikiLeaks. She was sentenced to 35 years in prison in 2013 before having her sentence commuted by President Barack Obama in 2017.

Every day Americans go to work with people who have life journeys different than their own and engage with them respectfully, I hope members of Congress can muster that same kindness.

— Sarah McBride (@SarahEMcBride) November 19, 2024

Following Mace’s efforts to ban her from using the bathrooms at the Capitol, McBride took to X to respond, writing: “Every day Americans go to work with people who have life journeys different than their own and engage with them respectfully, I hope members of Congress can muster that same kindness.”

“This is a blatant attempt from far right-wing extremists to distract from the fact that they have no real solutions to what Americans are facing. We should be focused on bringing down the cost of housing, health care, and child care, not manufacturing culture wars,” she continued.