On Wednesday, Congressman Marie Newman (D-IL), who has a transgender daughter, put up a transgender flag outside her office in response to recent hateful remarks from Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), whose office sits just across the hall.
Greene has been railing against the Equality Act, which the House is set to vote on Thursday. The legislation guarantees explicit, permanent protections for LGBTQ people under our nation’s existing civil rights laws, expanding the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Fair Housing Act and providing clear and equal protections under federal law for all Americans in employment, access to public spaces, housing, credit, education, jury service, and federally-funded programs.
Greene this week called the Equality Act “disgusting, immoral, and evil” in a tweetstorm and rose on the House floor to say “God created us male and female. In his image, he created us. The Equality Act that we are to vote on this week destroys God’s creation. It also completely annihilates women’s rights and religious freedoms. It can be handled completely different to stop discrimination without destroying women’s rights, little girls’ rights in sports and religious freedom, violating everything we hold dear in God’s creation.”
Newman put the flag up in response on Wednesday, tweeting, “Our neighbor, @RepMTG, tried to block the Equality Act because she believes prohibiting discrimination against trans Americans is ‘disgusting, immoral, and evil.’ Thought we’d put up our Transgender flag so she can look at it every time she opens her door.”
Greene, in response, put up a sign that reads “There are TWO genders – MALE and FEMALE – Trust the Science” and tweeted “Thought we’d put up ours so [Newman] can look at it every time she opens her door.”
Greene attacked Newman again after she gave a speech on the House floor defending her daughter’s rights to protection, tweeting, “As mothers, we all love and support our children. But your biological son does NOT belong in my daughters’ bathrooms, locker rooms, and sports teams.”
Greene (R-GA), a congressional supporter of the far-right QAnon conspiracy theory, is a Parkland and Sandy Hook truther who claimed 9/11 was an inside job and also supported executing Nancy Pelosi, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton in social media posts. She lost all her committee assignments earlier this month because of her hateful and extremist views.
Greene’s sign drew immediate reaction, with many pointing out that this is why the Equality Act is necessary.
