Congresswoman Nancy Mace, once a self-proclaimed LGBTQ+ ally, has now embraced the label critics long used to describe her, and she’s doing it by proudly declaring herself a bigot.
On Tuesday evening, the South Carolina Republican responded to a headline from The Advocate, “Nancy Mace considers quitting Congress to take her transphobia statewide in South Carolina,” by tweeting: “FALSE: I am not quitting Congress. TRUE: Proud transphobe.” The story was about Mace’s decision to consider running for governor of her home state.
The response drew pushback from other X (formerly Twitter) users, politicians, and advocates. Gay Wisconsin Congressman Mark Pocan, former chair of the Congressional Equality Caucus, replied: “TRUE: Batshit crazy.”
Related: Nancy Mace considers quitting Congress to take her transphobia statewide in South Carolina
Laurel Powell, director of communications for the Human Rights Campaign, told The Advocate, “Nancy Mace is just up to her usual antics: saying anything and everything to get attention. She continues to be a national embarrassment.”
Mace’s declaration follows a deliberate political transformation. In 2021, during her first year in Congress, she posted, “I strongly support LGBTQ rights. No one should be discriminated against. Religious liberty, gay rights, and transgender equality can all coexist. I’m also a constitutionalist. We have to ensure anti-discrimination laws don’t violate religious freedom.” That same year, she co-sponsored the Republican-led “Fairness for All Act,” which offered limited LGBTQ+ protections while including broad exemptions for religious institutions. Four years later, Mace is leaning into open hostility.
Related: Nancy Mace sits silently as Robert Garcia roasts her anti-trans record in House Oversight hearing
She told Fox News last week that she is “definitely leaning toward running for statewide office,” citing “gender-bending ideology in college and universities,” tax policy, and immigration enforcement as her top concerns. Last weekend, she falsely claimed the National Institutes of Health spent $26 million to create “transgender mice” and asked, “Can I say ‘tr***y’ in here?” during a public appearance in New Hampshire.
Mace has made transphobia central to her political messaging.
In Washington, Mace led a resolution banning trans women from using women’s restrooms in congressional facilities, a move she confirmed was aimed at newly elected Congresswoman Sarah McBride, the first out transgender member of Congress. In January, Mace and Colorado Republican U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert mistakenly confronted a cisgender woman they believed to be McBride in a Capitol restroom.
Related: Nancy Mace yells 'F**k you!' at man she assumes is gay for asking her a question in an Ulta store
Mace has also used official channels to mock and target LGBTQ+ people. She shouted slurs during a House Oversight Committee hearing, accused a foster care advocate of assault over a handshake, screamed obscenities at a gay constituent while shopping in a store, and publicly mocked a transgender woman’s appearance, resulting in online harassment and death threats against the private citizen.
On Thursday, Mace doubled down again, posting a graphic quoting The New Republic’s June description of her as “the most prominent transphobe in American politics.” Her caption: “We approve of this message. Your mental illness is not our reality.”
Related: Anti-trans Republican Nancy Mace doubles down on dehumanizing transphobic slur during hearing
Below, The Advocate rounds up the internet’s response to Mace’s admission, and what it reveals about the state of political discourse in 2025.
Check out some of these reaction tweets ➡️
Josh Sorbe at the gym.courtesy Josh Sorbe
Josh Sorbe partipates in a 10-mile run.courtesy Josh Sorbe