Footage is currently on the internet of Webster Barnaby, a Republican member of the Florida House of Representatives, calling transgender people “demons and imps” and comparing them to “mutants from another planet” during a committee hearing on Monday.
“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,” Rep. Webster Barnaby, R-Deltona, said before the House Commerce Committee approved the bill. “This is the planet Earth where God created men male and women female. I’m a proud Christian conservative Republican. I’m not on the fence, not on the fence.” Barnaby’s comments came after transgender people testified against the bill.
He went on to say “demons and imps who come and parade before us and pretend that you are part of this world. So, I’m saying my righteous indignation is stirred. I am sick and tired of this. I’m not going to put up with it. You can test me and try to take me on. But I promise you I’ll win every time.”
After making derogatory remarks about transgender people, several speakers some identifying as transgender had a few words for him.
One man is currently going viral after speaking on Barnaby’s comments saying, “I am a trans man this bathroom ban is just another piece of coordinated effort by Christian billionaires like Betsy Defost to erase trans people from society.” Kalep Garcia said. “Transgender people are Floridians, were students, workers and business leaders. Were parents, siblings, aunts, uncle’s and children. We work hard we contribute to our communities. We pay more more in taxes than the billionaires who found the astro turf campaigns do. These are the exact kind of bills that are designed to put my life in danger and in fact I legally changed my gender marker from female to male. It says male on my driver license. If I’m legally male how will they prove I am transgender. Are the police going to make me pull my pants down. I wish you were obsessed with housing, healthcare, education and corporate taxes more than you are with the genitals of men like me. This bill is dangerous this bill is creepy, vote no!” He ended.
Many individuals demanded that Barnaby apologise and resign for his comments, which were deemed to be discriminatory and offensive by the general public.
Minutes after Republicans advanced the bathroom bill, Barnaby apologized for his comments. “I referred to trans people as demons,” Barnaby said. “I would like to apologize to the trans community for referring to you as demons.”
