Summary
During a House Oversight Committee hearing, Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) repeatedly shouted an anti-trans slur despite objections from Democratic Rep. Gerald Connolly.
She defended her remarks by attacking transgender rights and dismissing criticism.
The outburst drew condemnation from LGBTQ+ advocates and political figures, highlighting her shift from previously supporting LGBTQ+ rights to embracing anti-trans rhetoric.
Mace has used the slur in past statements and introduced legislation restricting transgender rights.
Speaking as someone who has been subjected to slurs and violence for who and what I am - why should simple exposure to slurs be where we draw the line? For me it was almost always about the hatred behind them; discussions about someone else’s hate for me are going to hit the same whether the words are printed or not.
I don’t think the word should have been censored here - either print it or drop the quote.
Nor do I think a report critical of someone using slurs is normalizing the use of them by quoting them. This isn’t the casual use of slurs in everyday language as a synonym for bad.
You’re free to argue for the normalising of slurs people level against you. I won’t stand in your way. But again, you don’t get to decide that slurs used against other people should be normalised, when the impact of those slurs isn’t felt by you.