Republicans’ demonization of transgender people reached new levels on Monday when Florida Rep. Webster Barnaby (R) compared the group to “mutants” during a speech at the state capital on Monday.
The congressman ― who represents the city of Deltona, 30 minutes from Daytona Beach ― made the comment while discussing Florida House Bill 1521, which criminalizes the use of public bathrooms for transgender people.
According to the Tallahassee Democrat, Barnaby called himself a “proud Christian conservative Republican” before likening transgender citizens to characters from the Marvel comic book saga “X-Men.”
Taking the mic after a number of transgender Floridians rebuked the bill, the legislator told his peers, “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.”
He went on to call transgender people “demons and imps who come and parade before us and pretend that you are part of this world.”
The bill was later approved by Florida’s Commerce Committee and is now headed to a vote by the entire House. A Senate version of the bill has to be approved by the Fiscal Policy Committee before their chamber’s vote.
After Barnaby’s comments, Kissimmee, Florida, politician Rep. Kristen Arrington (D) stepped in to celebrate the transgender activists in the audience for their “bravery.”
“Also to tell that I see you, hear you, understand and love you,” Arrington said. “Definitely, I’m still a little bit thrown off from the last comments here and just really want to let you all know that there are many here that understand and support you.”
HB1521 is one of 10 pieces of anti-LGBTQ legislation being considered in the Sunshine State. Florida has voted to advance bans on gender-affirming care for transgender youth and public drag performances.
Last year, Governor Ron DeSantis (R) signed the state’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill into law, banning the discussion of gender and sexuality for Florida students in kindergarten through third grade.