Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Gun-toting Lauren Boebert applauded by GOP as says she wants to be called ‘congressman’ in rant against trans rights

Comments come as Senate committee holds hearing on Equality Act

Oliver O'Connell
New York
Wednesday 17 March 2021 18:31 GMT
Comments
(REUTERS)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Representative Lauren Boebert said she wants Democrats to call her “congressman” in a rant against the Equality Act to a town hall meeting of supporters.

In a video posted online by the Montrose Daily Press, the Colorado lawmaker said that the bill currently being debated in the Senate to update federal civil rights law to include sexual orientation and gender identity is an attack on religious freedom.

“We all want equality, right?” Ms Boebert asked the crowd. “Must be a fantastic bill. Well, the Constitution right there in the preamble says that we are all equal, we have a 14th Amendment that says all men — and it’s okay to say men as a gender-neutral term — all men are created equal, are equal under the law.”

Read more:

Representative Boebert, with a firearm strapped to her thigh in a holster, was cheered by the crowd and continued: “You know, I’ve decided I don’t want Democrats to call me congresswoman. I want them to acknowledge that ‘man’ is a gender-neutral term, and they can call me ‘Congressman Boebert.’”

Ms Boebert continued to stoke fears about the bill of the government overreaching to replace terms such as “mom and dad”.

The video came to light as the Senate Judiciary Committee in Washington, DC held a hearing on the bill, which has already been approved by the House of Representatives.

Much of the testimony and questioning in the hearing focussed on issues relating to transgender youth participation in high school and college women’s sports, and the alleged potential for the persecution of religious organisations.

With the Senate equally divided, the bill is unlikely to pass in its current form without amendments.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in