A Republican lawmaker has refused to apologize after referring to transgender people as ‘fairies’ and calling another black representative a ‘boy’.
Tennessee Congresswoman Diana Harshbarger made the reference while speaking about Texas Democrat Al Green during a recent interview.
Green, 77, uses a cane and made headlines after interrupting President Trump’s speech to the House by waving it and shouting in protest at the president.
In an interview this week, Harshbarger recalled the moment saying: ‘Al Green was over here with his cane and I’m like, ‘Gosh dang it, boy’.’
The use of ‘boy’ in reference to a black man is seen as being racially coded, depending on the speaker and tone of voice used. The Supreme Court has acknowledged that the word can be used as a racial slur.
She added: ‘He does not need that cane. That cane is a prop. I swear it’s not real.
‘One of my colleagues said, ‘Unscrew the gold part off of it and see if there’s a gun in there’. I’m, like, ‘I don’t know about that man’. He’s just Weird Al.’
When the interviewer said: ‘It’s better than what the previous administration was having as fundraisers, with the transgenders…’ Harshbarger responded by calling trans people ‘fairies.’
In an interview this week, Harshbarger recalled the moment Green protested and referred to him as ‘boy’
Green, 77, uses a cane and made headlines after interrupting President Trump’s speech to the House by waving it and shouting in protest at the president
She said: ‘Listen, I never saw so many fairies in the White House dancing around. And I’m like—I don’t know where they got them. My job is to love them into the love of Christ, and I gotta watch what I say.
‘But look, remember what I told you. I better not say it. I think they need more grandmothers in Congress. That’s all I’m gonna say, and I’m gonna leave it at that.’
The clip has sparked controversy for her use of the phrase, with Green holding a press conference on Wednesday condemning her language.
He said: ‘This is especially sensitive for me because, as a child, I remember my father being stopped by a peace officer, and the officer referred to my father as ‘boy.’
‘And my mother was ‘girl.’ And it wasn’t just that one time. It was the way society addressed people of color who were of African ancestry at the time.’
‘It wasn’t said to indicate that you are youthful. It was said to demean, to degrade, to denigrate.
‘Friends, it’s not about Al Green. It’s about whether Black people in this society are going to allow slurs such as this to be normalized. We cannot allow the normalization of these kinds of slurs.’
During his press conference, which he hosted alongside other Texas community leaders, he never referenced Harshbarger by name.
Green uses the cane for more stability while walking, adding that although there isn’t a concealed weapon inside he could use it to defend himself.
In response, Harshbarger posted on her X account and refused to apologize for her language.
She said: ‘The weather is warming up, so naturally, the snowflakes are starting to melt! I was discussing one of my colleague’s erratic behavior during President Trump’s Joint Address, and now he—along with the rest of the Radical Left—is blowing it out of proportion in a desperate attempt to get attention.
‘BOY oh boy, you just can’t catch a break between the FAKE NEWS and young men wielding canes!’
In response, Harshbarger posted on her X account and refused to apologize for her language
Green had also called out Harshbarger for using the term ‘fairies’ during the same interview.
The House would go on to censure Green in a sharp rebuke of his actions, voting largely along party lines 224 to 198.
Ten Democrats joined their GOP colleagues to vote ‘yea’ on the resolution while two voted present.
But ahead of the vote, Green said despite any punishment for his actions, it would have been worth it.
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