Anita Staver’s Twitter account lists her as a “constitutional attorney” and the “happy wife” of Liberty Counsel chairman Mat Staver.
Her personal motto is “seek truth, not popularity.” So far, she’s found neither.
On Friday, she wrote a Tweet that implies she’ll be popping ’round her local Target, armed with a Glock .45 handgun in order to protect herself against the nefarious advances of transgender users:
I'm taking a Glock .45 to the ladies room. It identifies as my bodyguard. #BoycottTarget @Target
— Liberty Lawyer (@AnitaStaver) April 22, 2016
We reached out to Nadine Smith, Executive Director of Equality Florida, for a statement. She responded:
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The president of Liberty Counsel, the religious law group behind the recent wave of anti-transgender bathroom bills, announced that she plans to carry a gun with her to the women’s restroom.
Anita Staver’s twitter message comes in response to an announcement by Target the company will not discriminate against transgender customer or employees.
Liberty Counsel’s tweet advising people to bring firearms into bathrooms is outrageous, dangerous, and irresponsible. The type of fear-mongering promoted by this hate group is not only reprehensible, but it is putting lives in danger.
I have contacted Liberty Counsel directly and hope they will accept the invitation to meet with Equality Florida and sit down with members of the transgender community to see the people who suffer most directly the consequences of their dangerous and dehumanizing rhetoric.
Fortunately, this type of appeal to fear is being broadly denounced. Conservative commentators, law enforcement officials and those on the frontline combating violence have called this misguided and dangerous; a draconian solution to a non-existent problem.
We hope Liberty Counsel will back away from this reckless strategy and stop inciting hostility toward transgender people.”
Social media was understandably outraged:
@AnitaStaver @Target when has a trans person ever attacked someone in the bathroom?? talk about an overreaction…
— Holla at ya boi (@bettawerq90) April 22, 2016
Staver has been quick to respond to her critics:
@bettawerq90 not afraid of them. I want protection from the perverts who will use the law to gain access to women.
— Liberty Lawyer (@AnitaStaver) April 23, 2016
@bettawerq90 perhaps I should worry? 5 Times ‘Transgender’ Men Abused Women And Children In Bathrooms https://t.co/zliqcAgFmb
— Liberty Lawyer (@AnitaStaver) April 23, 2016
Those critics have been eager to respond in kind:
@AnitaStaver So why aren’t you boycotting Twitter and Apple after they denounced #HB2?
— Matt (@MattNowak1) April 25, 2016
.@AnitaStaver @Target Funny, as a transwoman, I feel compelled to carry as well. I prefer a .38+P. At that range, anyway.
— what if i was wrong? (@DamnitAddie) April 25, 2016
@AnitaStaver @Target like chicken little, the sky is falling pic.twitter.com/htI9lhbsyf
— Helen Gibbs (@lostnwv) April 25, 2016
@AnitaStaver @Target pic.twitter.com/OnzJiKS51C
— WonderMom (@vivigold197) April 25, 2016
.@AnitaStaver @Target So… Your plan is to shoot women who don't look like women? Or do you plan to do a genital check first?
— Richard S. Crawford (@underpope) April 25, 2016
@AnitaStaver @Target which one? I want to make sure I'm there when you are.
— Carly Lehwald (@CarlyELehwald) April 25, 2016
@AnitaStaver so what will you do when this person is in the women's room because of laws you support? pic.twitter.com/WVNB8KlKHe
— ReidDA (@ReidDA) April 25, 2016
The back-and-forth continues:
Don't be crazy — bodyguards and guns are for protection, not aggression. @Cassie_complex @Target @theflabar @DC_Bar
— Liberty Lawyer (@AnitaStaver) April 25, 2016
The radicals go nuts when we mention self defense. Let's give them something to talk about. #2ndAmendment #gunsense pic.twitter.com/UDPsd5PuFA
— Liberty Lawyer (@AnitaStaver) April 25, 2016
