Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene said Transport Secretary Pete Buttigieg and his husband should stay out of girls’ bathrooms while speaking at Donald Trump’s rally in Commerce, Georgia, on Saturday.
“You know what? Pete Buttigieg can take his electric vehicles and his bicycles, and he and his husband can stay out of our girl’s bathrooms,” Greene said at the rally.
Greene seemed to be referencing ongoing debates about what bathrooms transgender people should use– but Pete Buttigieg and his husband Chasten are gay, not transgender.
Some Twitter users suggested that Greene’s comments about Buttigieg were homophobic.
The Georgia Republican has been a vocal critic of transgender people using bathrooms that correspond with their gender identity.
In her speech, Greene criticized and misgender transgender swimmer Lia Thomas, who has become the center of fierce debates about transgender athletes.
“And old Lia Thomas? Lia is going to have to remember his name is William, and he needs to go back to men’s swimming because we’re going to kick the biological men out of women’s sports,” Greene said.
—RSBN 🇺🇸 (@RSBNetwork) March 26, 2022
In her comments about Buttigieg, Greene referenced the Transport Secretary’s advocacy of electric vehicles as a more environmentally friendly alternative to regular cars.
Some Republicans, such as Rep. Markwayne Mullin, have accused Buttigieg of being “tone-deaf” for promoting electric vehicles rather than focusing on soaring gas prices.
Before her comments about Buttigieg, Greene complained about “ridiculous high gas prices” and vowed: “We’re going to drill oil right here in the USA.”
In her speech, Greene asked for support ahead of the 2022 midterms. At least seven candidates are planning to challenge her.
The controversial congresswoman has garnered criticism for promoting the QAnon conspiracy theory, and for recently appearing at a conference linked to accused white supremacists.
*story by Business Insider
