A House Republican abruptly ended a congressional hearing he was chairing Tuesday after his Democratic colleague called him out for misgendering Rep. Sarah McBride, the first openly transgender lawmaker in Congress.
The confrontation occurred during a House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Europe hearing, when Rep. Keith Self of Texas called on the Delaware Democrat to speak and introduced her as “Mr. McBride.”
McBride quickly shot back, responding, “Thank you, Madam Chair.”
Rep. William Keating of Massachusetts, the top Democrat on the subcommittee, then stepped in. He interrupted McBride and asked the Texas Republican to repeat himself.
“Yes, it’s a — we have set the standard on the floor of the House,” Self replied, “and I’m simply —”
“What is that standard, Mr. Chairman?” Keating fired back. “Would you repeat what you just said when you introduced a duly elected representative from the United States of America? Please!”
“I will,” Self said, before misgendering McBride again.
“Mr. Chairman, have you no decency? I mean, I’ve come to know you a little bit, but this is not decent,” Keating said, before cutting off Self’s attempt to move on. “You will not continue with me unless you introduce a duly elected representative the right way.”
Self then abruptly banged his gavel and adjourned the hearing. Self later posted a clip of the incident on X and pointed to a Trump administration executive order that proclaims there are only two biological sexes, one of the administration’s many actions targeting trans people. “It is the policy of the United States to recognize two sexes, male and female,” he wrote. McBride’s identity has been a topic of preoccupation by her Republican colleagues long before she was sworn into the House. She has tried to distance herself from the GOP’s histrionics and stayed focused on her messaging about serving her constituents. McBride appeared to address the exchange in a post on X later Tuesday, writing, “No matter how I’m treated by some colleagues, nothing diminishes my awe and gratitude at getting to represent Delaware in Congress.”
Clarissa-Jan Lim is a breaking news reporter for MS NOW. She was previously a senior reporter and editor at BuzzFeed News.
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