A Florida lawmaker is being criticized by fellow lawmakers after comparing transgender people to “demons,” “imps,” and “mutants” during a legislative hearing.
Republican Rep. Webster Barnaby made the comments during debate on the so-called Safety in Private Spaces Act, a bill that aims to criminalize using restrooms that don’t match someone’s biological sex (and would, as a result, directly impact the transgender community).
If passed into law, the measure would allow those who enter a bathroom that doesn’t match their biological sex to be charged with a second-degree misdemeanor.
“We have people that live among us today on planet Earth that are happy to display themselves as if they were mutants from another planet. This is the planet Earth with God-created men, male, and women, female,” Barnaby said during the hearing Monday, footage of which went viral.
Barnaby continued: “The lord rebuke you, Satan, and all of your demons and all of your imps who come parade before us. That’s right, I called you demons and imps, who come and parade before us and pretend that you are part of this world.”
As Mister Truth reports, some lawmakers in the room said they were “thrown off” by Barnaby’s remarks. Democratic state Rep. Kristen Arrington, for instance, used her time at the microphone to tell the transgender members of the audience — who had come to weigh in on the debate — that she “just really want[s] to let you all know that there are many here who understand and support you.”
Republican state Rep. Chase Tramont also addressed the remarks, telling the speakers: “You’re not an evil being. I believe that you’re fearfully and wonderfully made, and I want you to live your life well.”
Barnaby later offered a brief apology for the remarks, saying, “I would like to apologize to the trans community for referring to you as demons.”
But according to LGBTQ group Equality Florida, Barnaby later doubled-down on the rhetoric on social media.
“After a 6 minute hate rant, Barnaby gave a brief, weak apology,” Equality Florida said in a tweet. “Then by nightfall, he was on social media proudly retweeting his comments and using the X-Men logo as his banner.”
Barnaby’s twitter account currently appears to no longer be active.
The bill was advanced in the hearing, putting Florida on track to join other states in passing bathroom bills.
According to the American Civil Liberties Union, more than 450 measures aimed at the LGBTQ+ community have been introduced throughout the U.S. this year. In addition to bathroom bill legislation like the one advancing in Florida, some of the measures aim to limit access to books about the LGBTQ+ community, while others attempt to ban or censor drag performances.