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Republicans Cut Mic of Brian Sims, Gay Lawmaker, For Calling Them Out
Republicans Cut Mic of Brian Sims, Gay Lawmaker, For Calling Them Out
"Your boos mean nothing to me. I've seen what you cheer for."
During a speech on Wednesday, State Rep. Brian Sims, a Democrat from Philadelphia, was silenced when his mic was cut after he said that the Republican delegation was "100 percent white."
Sims' mic was cut during a debate on a proposal to regulate discarding fetal remains. Pennsylvania's Democratic lawmakers have said that the proposal would make women either bury or cremate miscarried fetuses, reported Business Insider.
Democratic women lawmakers had given speeches against the bill earlier, reported USA Today, and spoke of their own experiences with miscarriage. Gov. Tom Wolf is expected to veto the bill.
"It threatens the dignity and the privacy of anyone who has or will experience a miscarriage in this commonwealth," State Rep. Melissa Shusterman, a Democrat from Chester County, said.
Sims, who is running for lieutenant governor, told the Republican-controlled legislature that having his colleagues detail their traumatic experiences was uncalled for.
"This is just another act in a political theater that has plagued this chamber for far too long," he said.
"We are a legislature that has met more to remove mask mandates, strip executive emergency powers, and overturn free and fair elections than we have to make strategic investments in Pennsylvania's women, children, and families," Sims told lawmakers.
\u201c\ud83d\udcfd\ufe0f @PAHouseGOP leader has meltdown on House floor after it was raised that his caucus is 100% white in a chamber that is 70% male while pushing bills that hurt women's health, especially Black and brown women.\n\nHe had it stricken from the record then they shut down the floor.\u201d— J.J. Abbott (@J.J. Abbott) 1623268017
The Democrat lawmaker then noted the whiteness of the Pennsylvania GOP, calling the proposal part of a "grossly, predictably misogynistic agenda -- an agenda pursued by a party that is 100 percent white, in a chamber that is 70 percent male."
Republican lawmakers were quick to speak out against Sims' comments.
"Your boos mean nothing to me," Sims responded. "I've seen what you cheer for."
House Speaker Bryan Cutler cut his mic. Cutler then spoke to both parties' leadership, read the debate rules to the lawmakers, and had Sims speak again, according to USA Today.
Sims repeated himself. His mic was cut again, and the Speaker said his time had been forfeited.
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