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Democratic Congresswoman calls transphobic witness ‘ignorant bigot’

Democratic Congresswoman calls transphobic witness ‘ignorant bigot’

During testimony on Capital Hill regarding Obama’s transgender bathroom directive, Democratic Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren tore into a witness named Gail Heriot, who quickly proved to be transphobic.

Heriot, a member of the United States Commission on Human Rights, was testifying against Obama’s bathroom directive when Lofgren referred to her commentary as “regrettable.”

According to Talking Points Memo, Lofgren read aloud from Heriot’s written testimony:

If I believe that I am a Russian princess, that doesn’t make me a Russian princess, even if my friends and acquaintances are willing to indulge my fantasy. Nor am I a Great Horned Owl just because — as I have been told — I happen to share some personality traits with those feathered creatures.”

“I’ve got to say, I found this rather offensive,” Lofgren commented. ” And it says to me that the witness really doesn’t know anything and probably has never met a transgender child who is going through, in almost every case, a very difficult experience finding themselves. It’s very regrettable that that comment was put into the record, and I think it’s highly offensive.”

Heriot attempted to interject and clarify her stance, but Lofgren cut her off:  “I think you’re a bigot, lady! I think you are an ignorant bigot.”

That’s when antigay Republican Rep. Steve King entered the fray, telling Lofgren she’s “out of order.”

“We don’t call names in this committee,” he reprimanded.

“Mr. Chairman,” Lofgren said, ” it is my time, and I would just like to say that we allow witnesses to say offensive things, but I cannot allow that kind of bigotry to go into the record unchallenged.”

It was Lofgren herself who posted the video to Twitter.

“I don’t usually confront committee witnesses, ” she writes, but bigotry and hate need to be exposed for what they are.”

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