Speaker Johnson says won't engage in 'silly debates' about incoming, first transgender House member

House Speaker Mike Johnson said Tuesday he would not participate in "silly debates" when asked by a reporter whether incoming House member Sarah McBride, Congress' first transgender lawmaker, was a man or a woman. 

"Look, I'm not going to get into this," said Johnson, a Louisiana Republican. "We welcome all new members with open arms who are duly elected representatives of all the people. I believe it's a command that we treat all persons with dignity and respect and we will. I'm not going to engage in silly debates about this."

The question followed a bill proposed by South Carolina GOP Rep. Nancy Mace about transgenders and the use of restrooms on Capitol Hill. 

McBride, a Delaware Democrat, was elected to the House on Nov. 5.

"There's a concern about the uses of restroom facilities and locker rooms and all of that," Johnson said. "This is an issue that Congress has never had to address before and we're going to do that in a deliberate fashion with member consensus on it and we will accommodate the needs of every single person."

He declined to say whether he would take up Mace's bill.

"I just told you what I'm gonna say about the issue," he said. "I'm not gonna engage in this. We don't look down upon anyone. We treat everybody with dignity and respect."