Chicagoan held in 'violently shaking' of anti-trans Rep. Nancy Mace's hand, Capitol police say

WASHINGTON — A North Side advocate for trans youths pleaded not guilty Wednesday to “violently” shaking the hand of Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., who is the most outspoken anti-trans member of Congress.

James McIntyre, 33, of East Rogers Park, entered the plea in a Washington courtroom after an incident involving Mace, who is leading an attempt to ban the first transgender woman to serve in Congress — Rep.-elect Sarah McBride, D-Del., — from using women’s bathrooms.

McIntyre’s next court date is Jan. 27. In the meantime, Mace is using the incident to bolster fundraising.

Mace’s fundraiser appeal Wednesday night stated in the subject line, “I WAS PHYSICALLY ACCOSTED last night,” with her message accusing a “pro-trans man” of injuring her wrist.

She posted on “X” that President-elect Donald Trump called her to see how she was doing.

U.S. Capitol Police arrested McIntyre, co-founder of the Illinois chapter of Foster Care Alumni of America, about 6 p.m. Tuesday.

He faces a misdemeanor charge of assaulting a government official.

A handshake or an assault?

A police report said the incident occurred Tuesday in the Rayburn House Office Building. The report doesn't include Mace’s name, but she identified herself on social media posts.

Mace, a co-chair of the Congressional Caucus on Foster Youth, posted on X that she was "physically accosted at the Capitol tonight by a pro-tr*ns man. One new brace for my wrist and some ice for my arm and it'll heal just fine."

McIntyre approached Mace to shake her hand. As she put out her hand, he “took her hand with both of his hands and shook her arm up and down in an exaggerated, aggressive hand shaking motion,” a police report said. The report also said that during the handshake, McIntyre said, “Trans youth deserve advocacy.”

Mace said she was “intimidated” and could not pull away.

She then left the scene and went to the Capitol Hill Club, a private social club for Republicans, as police searched for McIntyre.

Mace refused medical attention, but she told police she had pain in her wrists, arm, armpit and shoulder, the report said.

But at least one person who saw the interaction disputed that it was anything but a handshake.

Elliott Hinkle, a Wyoming advocate for youth in foster care, told the Washington Post he saw the interaction during a reception Tuesday night at the Rayburn building. McIntyre reached out for Mace's hand, and she shook it. He shook her hand with both of his, Hinkle said.

"What we witnessed was a handshake, a passionate shake, but it didn’t look like an assault or intended aggression,” Hinkle said.

Details from the incident were first reported by The Imprint, an outlet that covers youth and family news. Hinkle didn't immediately respond to requests for comment from the Sun-Times.

Who is James McIntyre?

No one answered when a Sun-Times reporter knocked on the door of McIntyre's North Side home Wednesday. Calls to a phone listed for him went to voicemail.

McIntyre appears to be fairly well known within the foster care community.

He has worked with the Court Appointed Special Advocates of Cook County and Illinois and received the Public Citizen of the Year Award from the National Association of Social Workers Illinois Chapter in 2019.

McIntyre’s interest in foster care comes from his own life experiences. He was placed into the custody of the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services as a child with his four sisters, according to FosterClub, a group that provides resources and support to young people in foster care.

He was separated from his siblings and adopted with two of them, then faced abuse from his adoptive family, his bio states.

After turning 18, McIntyre joined the DCFS youth advisory board, then he formed the Foster Care Alumni of America's Illinois chapter at 21.

He has fought for foster kids to be allowed to see their siblings and advocated for better legal protections for kids separated from their parents at the Southern U.S. border.

“It is a true honor to be receiving the Public Citizen of the Year Award from NASW-IL,” McIntyre told Windy City Times that November. “As a former foster kid who knows the dedication to improving the lives of abused and neglected children, social workers saved me.”

Mace fundraising off McIntyre’s arrest

Mace emailed supporters Wednesday asking for donations spurred by the alleged assault.

"And these activists will stop at NOTHING to silence anyone who dares defend us," the email reads, followed by options to donate $25 or $50 and sign a petition. "And after last night, it is clear I CANNOT STOP the fight! I’m launching a NATIONAL fight to BAN biological men from entering women’s spaces on ALL federal property."

Contributing: Kade Heather