Republican demonization of transgender people reached new levels Monday when Florida Rep. Webster Barnaby (R) compared the group to “mutants” during a speech in the state capital Monday.
The congressman, who represents the city of Deltona, 30 minutes from Daytona Beach, made the comment while speaking about Florida. House Bill 1521that criminalizes the use of public toilets for transgender people.
According to the Tallahassee DemocratBarnaby called himself a “proud conservative Christian Republican” before comparing transgender citizens to characters from Marvel’s “X-Men” comic book saga.
Taking the microphone after several transgender Floridians railed against the bill, the legislator told his peers: “We have people living among us today on planet Earth who are happy to show up as mutants from another planet.”
He went on to call transgender people “demons and imps that come and parade before us and pretend they’re part of this world.”
The bill was later approved by the Florida Commerce Committee and is now up for a full House vote. A Senate version of the bill must be approved by the Fiscal Policy Committee before its house vote.
Following comments from Barnaby, Kissimmee, Fla., politician Rep. Kristen Arrington (D) weighed in to celebrate the transgender activists in the hearing for their “bravery.”
Wilfred Lee via Associated Press
“Also to tell you that I see you, I hear you, I understand you and I love you,” Arrington said. “I’m definitely still a little taken aback by the latest comments on here and I really want to let everyone know that there are many here who understand and support you.”
HB1521 is one of 10 pieces of anti-LGBTQ legislation being considered in the Sunshine State. Florida has voted to advance bans on gender-affirming care for transgender youth and public drag performances.
Last year, Governor Ron DeSantis (R) signed state law “Don’t Say Gay” Bill into law, banning discussion of gender and sexuality for Florida students in kindergarten through third grade.
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