A controversy erupted in the U.S. Congress when a Republican congressman referred to a transgender Democratic representative as “Mr.” instead of “Ms.”, prompting protests from Democratic lawmakers.
On Tuesday, the House Foreign Affairs Committee’s Subcommittee on Europe held a hearing on arms control and U.S. support for Europe.
During the hearing, Republican Representative Keith Self (Texas), the subcommittee chair, introduced Democratic Representative Sarah McBride (Delaware) as “Mr. McBride.” McBride is the first openly transgender representative in U.S. history.
McBride briefly displayed a displeased expression but quickly responded, “Thank you, Madame Chair. “She deliberately addressed herself with the female honorific “Madame” to express her discontent before continuing her remarks.
However, Democratic Representative William Keating (Massachusetts), the ranking member sitting next to Self, did not let the incident slide. He urged Self to correct the honorific, but Self repeated, “Mr. McBride.”
Keating then accused Self of acting in an undignified manner.
Self attempted to continue the hearing, but Keating stood firm, insisting that an elected representative should be addressed appropriately. In the end, Self abruptly ended the hearing just one minute after making the controversial remark.
Afterward, Self defended his stance on social media, stating that U.S. policy recognizes only two genders: male and female.
Meanwhile, this is not the first controversy surrounding McBride. Last month, Republican Representative Mary Miller (Illinois) sparked backlash when she referred to McBride as “the gentleman from Delaware.”
