Nancy Mace Said She Was Pro Trans Rights, Compassion Was ‘Fundamental’… Last Year

Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) said last year she was “pro-transgender rights” and said compassion was “fundamental” to her politics, comments that stand dramatically different to her current crusade against a future colleague who made history when she was elected as the first trans member of Congress earlier this month.

Mace spoke to CBS News’ Major Garrett in 2023 to discuss several of her political positions at the time as part of the network’s podcast, “The Takeout.” As Republicans were unleashing a string of attacks against transgender Americans — including efforts to bar young trans kids from gender affirming health care and kick them off school sports teams — Mace seemed to urge an unusually progressive stance from others in her party.

“I think in a lot of ways Republicans come across as cold and unfeeling and not compassionate, especially when we’re talking about sensitive issues like gun violence or like abortion,” Mace said at the time. “We come across as so unwavering and unfeeling. I’m a conservative. I’m also a mom.”

Mace has become the face of the GOP’s assault on trans Americans in recent weeks after unveiling a measure to block Rep.-elect Sarah McBride (D-Del.) from using single-sex bathrooms in the Capitol when she heads to Congress in January. While McBride has tried to rise above the attacks, calling them a distraction, Mace has continued to mock her on social media, misgendering her while relishing her time on Fox News.

When Garrett asked Mace last year how her feelings affected her position on transgender rights at the time, Mace said she supported trans people, and said young trans kids should be able to use different pronouns and explore their gender identities.

“Well I’m pro-transgender rights, I’m pro-LGBTQ, just don’t go to the extreme with our kids. Sex change surgery, the hormone blockers that sterilize our children. We shouldn’t be doing that when our child is prepubescent or going through puberty.

“Now if they want to take on a different pronoun or a different gender identity, or a grow their hair out or wear a dress or wear pants or do those things as a minor, those are all things that I think most people would support.”

“Be who you want to be, but don’t make those permanent changes when it’s a child.”

Gender-affirming surgeries are exceedingly rare among minors in the U.S., and a recent study found no evidence of any such procedures in youth aged 12 and younger in 2019. Puberty blockers suppress sex hormones and stop the onset of puberty in young people, but if an adolescent stops taking them, puberty will continue. The American Academy of Pediatrics has said for years that gender-affirming care is essential for the well-being of young trans kids.

McBride has accused Republicans of trying to distract “from what they’re actually doing,” saying the party is trying to scapegoat trans people while going after other policies.

“Every single time we hear them say the word ‘trans,’ look what they’re doing with their right hand,” McBride told CBS News on Sunday. “Look at what they’re doing to pick the pocket of American workers, to fleece seniors by privatizing Social Security and Medicare.”