Congresswoman Nancy Mace of South Carolina declared on the floor of the House of Representatives that transgender children do not exist, delivering remarks in support of the Protect Children’s Innocence Act, federal legislation that would make it a felony to perform chemical or surgical gender-transition procedures on minors, punishable by up to 10 years in prison.
Mace, a Republican representing South Carolina’s 1st Congressional District, made the remarks on December 17, 2025. “There is a lie at the heart of this debate we have to correct — no child is born in the wrong body,” she said. “There are only two biological sexes, male and female. They are assigned at birth, and cannot be changed.” She went further later in the same speech, stating, “Democrats say protect trans kids. I came here today to the floor of the House of Representatives to say there is no such thing as a trans kid,” and added that she considers the concept “a mind virus perpetrated by the far-left to groom young children.”
The remarks continue a sharp reversal from Mace’s public position in July 2023, when she told CBS News she was “pro-transgender rights” and “pro-LGBTQ,” saying children should be allowed to change their pronouns, hairstyles or clothing while opposing permanent medical changes as minors. Since the 2024 election of Sarah McBride of Delaware, the first openly transgender member of Congress, Mace has introduced legislation barring transgender women from women’s restrooms in the Capitol and federally funded schools, and has repeatedly referred to transgender people as “mentally ill.”
Major medical organizations, including the American Medical Association, the American Psychiatric Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics, maintain that gender-affirming care is evidence-based and medically necessary for both adults and minors, a position Mace and other congressional Republicans backing the bill reject. The Protect Children’s Innocence Act remains before Congress.
