Though the Nov. 5 election was, in the eyes of many, a resounding repudiation of the woke agenda on everything from DEI initiatives in federal agencies to gender theory in public schools, that is not to say that battles over similarly controversial issues have disappeared overnight.

With the recent election of incoming, transgender Rep. Sarah McBride (D-DE) has come a heated debate over the presence of biological males in women's restrooms, with House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) forced this week to enter the fray, as Fox News reports.

Congressional controversy erupts

The situation that prompted Johnson's intervention emerged as a result of the election of McBride, a biological male who identifies as female, to a seat in the House representing Delaware.

In a preventative move before the new Congress commences in January, Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) took a stand against McBride's potential presence in House restrooms designated for women.

Mace introduced a resolution designed to block members, officers and employees of the lower chamber from using “single-sex facilities other than those corresponding to their biological sex,” stating that the presence of transgender women in such locations “jeopardizes the safety and dignity” of biological females, as CBS News noted.

Despite receiving a hail of criticism from Democrats in the wake of that move, Mace went even further, initiating another bill that would “ban biological men from using women's private, protected facilities -- such as bathrooms and locker rooms -- on all federal property” anywhere in the United States.

In a statement, Mace defended her advocacy on the issue, saying, “The radical Left would rather call me an extremist than admit they are wrong. The radical Left says I'm a 'threat.' You better believe it. And I will shamelessly call you out for putting women and girls in harm's way. Women fought for these spaces, and I will not let them be erased to score political points with a small but loud activist class.”

Johnson weighs in

Though he initially appeared reluctant to wade into the controversy when asked early in the week about whether he believed McBride was a man or a woman, Johnson eventually took a stand on that question as well as on the broader conundrum raised by Mace.

As to McBride's status, Johnson said on Tuesday, “Let me be unequivocally clear: A man is a man, and a woman is a woman. And a man cannot become a woman.”

He went on, “I also believe that we treat everybody with dignity, and so we can do and believe all those things at the same time.”

The speaker also addressed the practical matter of McBride's accommodations, declaring, “All single-sex facilities in the Capitol and House Office Buildings -- such as restrooms, changing rooms, and locker rooms -- are reserved for individuals of that biological sex. It is important to note that each Member office has its own private restroom, and unisex restrooms are available throughout the Capitol.”

Going on to declare his belief that “Women deserve women's only spaces,” Johnson said of the newly articulated rule, “Like all policies, it is enforceable” and added that he was simply reiterating what had always been, in his estimation, “an unwritten policy, but now it's in writing.”

McBride responds

Rep-elect McBride responded to the controversy on Wednesday by agreeing to comply with the rule put in place by Speaker Johnson, despite harboring a personal dislike for it, as The Hill reports.

“I'm not here to fight about bathrooms. I'm here to fight for Delawareans and to bring down the costs facing families. Like all members, I will follow the rules outlined by Speaker Johnson, even if I disagree with them,” McBride said, prompting commentator Meghan McCain to declare the incoming lawmaker a “class act,” but whether outspoken activists on the left will allow this issue to quietly recede into the background, only time will tell.