Florida Republican Rep. Webster Barnaby likened trans people to “mutants” from the “X-Men” franchise during a debate over a bill that would require people use bathrooms consistent with their birth sex.
After a series of transgender individuals spoke out against the “Safety in Private Spaces Act,” during the public comment portion of the hearing, Barnaby shared his thoughts on gender ideology and slammed the protestors. (RELATED: ‘Whose Schools? Our Schools!’: Trans Protesters Swarm Florida Capitol)
Barnaby expressed shock at the state of society, stating that it’s like “watching an X-Men movie” or “Marvel Comics.” He stated that transgender people often present themselves in outlandish ways that are not consistent with the Christian faith.
NEW: @WebsterBarnaby compares transgenders to living among “mutants”
“We have people that live among us [on] Earth that are happy to display themselves as if they were mutants from another planet. This is the planet Earth where God created men, male and women, female.” pic.twitter.com/rmssfGINhT
— Florida’s Voice (@FLVoiceNews) April 10, 2023
“We have people that live among us today on planet Earth that are happy to display themselves as if they were mutants from another planet,” Barnaby said. “This is the planet Earth, where God created men — male — and women — female.”
Barnaby touted his Christian faith while reiterating his support of mandating people use bathrooms consistent with their birth sex rather than their self-identified gender identity. The Florida representative also bemoaned the state of society, implying that it has ceded ground to “dark” and “evil” forces.
“I’m a proud Christian conservative Republican. I’m not on the fence. Not on the fence. There is so much darkness in our world today, so much evil in our world today, and so many people who are afraid to address the evil, the dysphoria, the dysfunction,” he added. “I’m not afraid.”
Barnaby then implied that the transgender people present at the hearing were sent by Satan and referred to them as “demons” and “imps.”
“The lord rebuke you, Satan, and all of your demons and all of your imps who come parade before us. That’s right. I called you demons and imps who come and parade before us and pretend that you are part of this world,” Barnaby said.
“I’m not going to put up with it,” Barnaby added. “You can test me and try to take me on, but I promise you I’ll win every time. Let’s all vote up on this bill.”
After Florida Republicans voted to advance the bathroom bill, Barnaby apologized for his comments on transgender people.
“I referred to trans people as demons,” Barnaby said, Politico reported. “I would like to apologize to the trans community for referring to you as demons.”