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GOP Rep on Equality Act: What If Trump Declared Himself a Woman?

Matt Gaetz

Matt Gaetz, announcing his opposition to the bill, seems to think people just decide to be transgender.

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U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida said today he can't support the Equality Act because people might just declare themselves to be transgender -- including Donald Trump.

"If President Trump were to say, 'I am now the first female president,' who would celebrate that?" the Republican congressman said during a House Judiciary Committee hearing on the legislation, which would amend existing civil rights law to ban discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in employment, housing, public accommodations, and a variety of other venues.

Gaetz argued that the bill "would only nominally protect certain individuals while causing tremendous harm to others."

"I strongly support the rights of transgender individuals," he said. "I will not denigrate or deny their struggles. But I am concerned about the potential bad actors who would exploit the provisions for their own gain."

By that, Gaetz meant people who might pretend to be transgender to gain access to a women's restroom and commit assault -- a familiar argument that is not supported by evidence -- or to win a contract designated for a woman-owned business.

Some other far-right Republicans, such as Rep. Louie Gohmert of Texas, raised the specter of assaults in restrooms or homeless shelters, and there were those who contended that protecting the rights of transgender people would undermine the rights of cisgender women.

However, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York, a Democrat, noted that some of his conservative colleagues who are expressing concern about women had voted against women's rights measures, such as the Paycheck Fairness Act and the Violence Against Women Act.

Later, Kenji Yoshino, a law professor and LGBTQ rights activist who appeared as a witness in support of the Equality Act, pointed out the problem with arguments like Gaetz's and Gohmert's. "One of the painful ironies of this entire hearing is that we hear over and over again trans individuals being cast as the perpetrators of assault and harassment where statistically there's no evidence that trans individuals are more likely to perpetrate assault or harassment," he said. "In fact, exactly the opposite is true: Trans individuals are more likely to be the victims of assault and harassment, and that's exactly what the Equality Act would cure."

Video of the full hearing is below.

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Trudy Ring

Trudy Ring is The Advocate’s senior politics editor and copy chief. She has been a reporter and editor for daily newspapers and LGBTQ+ weeklies/monthlies, trade magazines, and reference books. She is a political junkie who thinks even the wonkiest details are fascinating, and she always loves to see political candidates who are groundbreaking in some way. She enjoys writing about other topics as well, including religion (she’s interested in what people believe and why), literature, theater, and film. Trudy is a proud “old movie weirdo” and loves the Hollywood films of the 1930s and ’40s above all others. Other interests include classic rock music (Bruce Springsteen rules!) and history. Oh, and she was a Jeopardy! contestant back in 1998 and won two games. Not up there with Amy Schneider, but Trudy still takes pride in this achievement.
Trudy Ring is The Advocate’s senior politics editor and copy chief. She has been a reporter and editor for daily newspapers and LGBTQ+ weeklies/monthlies, trade magazines, and reference books. She is a political junkie who thinks even the wonkiest details are fascinating, and she always loves to see political candidates who are groundbreaking in some way. She enjoys writing about other topics as well, including religion (she’s interested in what people believe and why), literature, theater, and film. Trudy is a proud “old movie weirdo” and loves the Hollywood films of the 1930s and ’40s above all others. Other interests include classic rock music (Bruce Springsteen rules!) and history. Oh, and she was a Jeopardy! contestant back in 1998 and won two games. Not up there with Amy Schneider, but Trudy still takes pride in this achievement.