House Speaker Mike Johnson quietly implemented
the bathroom ban targeting transgender Rep. Sarah McBride
, Democrat of Delaware, following his swearing in to the 119th Congress.
To the delight of transphobic
GOP Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina, the policy mandates that single-sex facilities—including restrooms, locker rooms, and changing rooms—be used solely based on a person’s sex assigned at birth.
“The Chair announces to the House a new policy that will be implemented in the 119th Congress pursuant to clause 3 of rule I,” the Congressional Record states. “In all areas of the Capitol subject to the Speaker’s general control under clause 3 of rule I, all single-sex facilities—such as restrooms, changing rooms, and locker rooms—are reserved for individuals of that biological sex. This policy will be enforced by the Sergeant-at-Arms. It is important to note that each Member office has its own private restroom, and unisex restrooms are available throughout the Capitol.”
The rule was first established by Johnson
in November after Mace threw a fit over the news that McBride was elected.
Following Johnson’s reelection
as speaker earlier this month, Mace’s bathroom ban made headlines again when it noticeably wasn’t included
in the House Rules Package.
Instead, Johnson managed to sneak through the rule as part of the unilateral authority given to him under the House rules. It’s not precisely clear why Johnson would choose to go this route, and his team did not respond to Daily Kos’ request for comment.
However, one congressional staffer familiar with the matter speculated that Johnson might have done so as to not pit Congress members directly against each other.
“This was a political move so that people didn’t have to vote on the basis of banning staff and their fellow members of Congress,” they told Daily Kos.
Recently on X
, Mace has referred to McBride as a “perv,” misgendered her, and argued that “protecting women isn’t transphobic.”
And while Mace is expected to continue berating her fellow Congresswoman’s existence on McBride’s home turf
Friday, McBride will be busy actually doing her job.
Speaking to Axios, McBride’s spokesperson Michaela Kurinsky-Malos said
, “This weekend Congresswoman McBride will attend a bipartisan meeting with her colleagues from the House to discuss solutions to the most pressing issues facing her constituents.”
McBride has only made one statement on X
regarding the ban and Mace’s transphobic attacks.
“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 wrote.
The targeted bathroom ban comes at a time when rights for transgender people have taken an international debate stage.
Last month, the UK banned the use of puberty blockers
for minors in a historical move setting the tone for medical access for transgender youth. Just days before, the U.S. Supreme Court heard a case challenging a similar law in Tennessee that bans access
to gender-affirming medical care for minors.
The Washington Commanders’ last playoff victory came in Tampa against the Buccaneers in 2006. Their last playoff loss came against the same opponent in 2021. Sunday night’s NFC wild-card matchup between the two teams presents a strange symmetry for an upstart Commanders squad.
The Indiana Senate Democratic caucus will focus on healthcare, education and housing in the 2025 session, which the caucus acknowledged differs from the majority’s agenda but focuses on important issues.
The main task of the session, though, will be crafting a budget to cover state funding over the next two years. The legislature will determine how to spend $44 billion for schools, health insurance programs and infrastructure, among other fiscal issues.
“Budgets are more than numbers — they’re a reflection of who we fight for,” said Minority Caucus Leader Sen. Shelli Yoder, D-Bloomington, in a press release. “Budgets are moral documents. They show what we value, and we believe every dollar should go toward building a healthier, more prosperous future for all Hoosiers.”
State Sen. Rodney Pol, D-Chesterton, speaks in support of shutting down Summit scrapyard during an Indiana Department of Environmental Management hearing in Gary on Wednesday, May 15, 2024. (Michael Gard/for the Post-Tribune)
Minority Caucus Chair Sen. Rodney Pol, D-Chesterton, said given the budget session, Senate Democrats picked issues that impact the most vulnerable Hoosiers from children to the elderly.
Housing provides people with safety, healthcare costs have to be addressed, and public schools have to be protected as Republican legislators eye dismantling public schools for charter schools and the state faces a teacher shortage, Pol said.
“We always have a focus on the people who need help the most,” Pol said.
On the healthcare front, Senate Democrats filed bills to mandate Medicaid reimbursement for doula services, expand postpartum mental health care, establish a stillbirth prevention pilot program, and create a behavioral health helpline for mothers.
Senate Democrats also filed bills to end medical debt practices by prohibiting wage garnishments and property liens, capping interest rates, and protecting Hoosiers during insurance appeals.
Among the education bills Senate Democrats filed are proposals that would set a minimum salary for K-12 teachers at $65,000, fully fund the state’s Child Care and Development Fund, and invest $50 million in critical school staffing.
Tom Davies/AP
Indiana state Sen. Andrea Hunley, D-Indianapolis, speaks during a news conference alongside state Sen. Fady Qaddoura, D-Indianapolis, at the Statehouse in Indianapolis, Thursday, March 23, 2023. (AP Photo/Tom Davies)
“Education and health care are not just moral priorities — they are economic imperatives. Strong schools create a skilled workforce, and affordable health care keeps families and communities strong. These investments are the foundation of Indiana’s long-term prosperity,” said Assistant Minority Leader Sen. Andrea Hunley, D-Indianapolis.
To address housing, Senate Democrats filed bills that would require landlords to provide 60 days’ notice before property sales and ensure essential repairs are completed within a timely manner. Another bill would prevent utility companies from shutting off services on Fridays, weekends or holidays and would end fees for reconnections and unpaid balances.
“Stable housing is a fundamental human right. Our bills ensure that no Hoosier has to fear sudden evictions or utility disconnections, and they hold landlords and utility companies accountable. Housing stability drives health, education and economic success,” Pol said in the press release.
Senate Republicans presented their agenda Wednesday, ahead of the start of the 2025 session, where they outlined their plan to focus on property taxes, Medicaid, health care costs, water resources management and contract accountability.
While education is the state’s second-largest budget item, it wasn’t part of the Senate Republican’s agenda, Yoder said.
“Hoosiers deserve more than silence on these critical issues,” Yoder said. “Our priorities aren’t just ideas — they’re solutions to the challenges we’ve heard from families across Indiana. This agenda is about listening, acting and delivering.”
Pol said the Senate Republican and Senate Democrats leadership teams met Thursday afternoon to review the bills they filed so far and their legislative priorities. The meeting was productive, Pol said, with discussions about how to further or improve certain bills.
“It was one of the best outcomes from a meeting,” Pol said.
Evelyn Rackmyer has a deep appreciation for history, Aurora’s in particular.
It could be said she made history earlier this month when she turned 104, and was the guest of honor at a celebration at Jennings Terrace, where her contribution to this city’s story was acknowledged by Aurora Historical Society Executive Director John Jaros.
For many years Rackmyer was an integral part of the Aurora Historical Society, serving on the board from 1984-89 and volunteering long hours, working on committees and as a Tanner House docent, and giving her time at other events.
In the 2000s, said Jaros, she was a clerk in the Museum Store in the David L. Pierce Art and History Center in downtown Aurora, and when funding was cut back around 2009, continued as a volunteer until her “retirement” in 2013 at the age of 92.
No surprise that Evelyn Rackmyer was named AHS Volunteer of the Year in 2012, said Jaros, who described her as “a great lady, full of energy and life,” and who always referred to him and others as “Kiddo.”
At age 104, she certainly has plenty of her own history to share.
The youngest of six, Evelyn Even was born in Richmond, Illinois, on Jan. 1, 1921, but moved to Aurora with her mother and siblings after her father’s death when she was only 4.
Soon after graduating from East Aurora High School in 1938, she began working for the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad, where she met husband Eldon, a conductor whose father and grandfather both served as aldermen for the city of Aurora.
She continued a long career as a clerk/stenographer with this rail company that was chartered in Aurora by an act of the Illinois General Assembly in 1849. And when the old Roundhouse was converted into its present-day restaurant and brewery, she purchased display bricks commemorating not only her and Eldon’s careers but her two brothers, Bill and Joe Even, who also worked at the landmark Roundhouse on Broadway.
Evelyn’s love of learning is evident in her passion for reading as well as the Eldon and Evelyn Rackmyer Parochial Schools Endowment Fund she started in 2007 to benefit students at St. Rita of Cascia School.
Evelyn, who served on the Aurora Public Art Commission and volunteered at Provena Mercy Medical Center, also loved to travel, which she did often, especially after her husband’s death in 1991, said her niece, Yvonne Williams.
Evelyn Rackmyer, who turned 104 on Jan. 1, volunteered for many years with the Aurora Historical Society, including in the museum shop of the Tanner House, where she was featured in this 1987 photo. (Aurora Historical Society)
Among her aunt’s belongings tucked away in storage are many travel itineraries to Europe, including a visit to the Vatican, where she was able to meet the Pope, a “highlight,” said Williams, for this devout Catholic and active member of St. Rita’s Church.
Williams has fond memories of her stylish “Aunt Evie,” who liked to “spoil her nieces and nephews,” loved cooking for the family and entertaining at the couple’s log-cabin-like home on North Lake Street, where she lived for more than 65 years.
But when it was time to go into an assisted living facility, “she knew exactly where she wanted to go,” said Williams, of her aunt’s decision to move to Jennings Terrace.
There, she quickly become a favorite, not only because of her outgoing personality but because she’s such a treasure trove of memories that link a community together.
Evelyn Rackmyer, second from left, poses with other women who in the 1950s worked in the Aurora office of the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad. (Aurora Historical Society)
“Aurora is rich with history, and she made sure people knew it.” noted Jennings Terrace Administrator JoMarie Silver.
As her aunt’s legal guardian, Williams travels from her home in central California to Aurora several times a year, and insists Evelyn’s mind is as sharp as ever, although poor hearing makes it harder to communicate.
Still, that didn’t stop the birthday girl from enjoying the Jan. 3 party, which was attended via Zoom by family across the country. And when presented with a 2025 Aurora Historical Society calendar, Williams couldn’t help but notice how attentive her aunt became as Jaros patiently took her through each month’s historical photos.
The celebration, added Silver, was a “wonderful opportunity” to highlight “the valuable contributions of our senior citizens.”
Positive stories like Evelyn Rackmyer’s, she continued, “are a reminder of the rich tapestry of lives within our community.”
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