Representative Bob Good—a Virginia Republican who describes himself as a born-again Christian and a "biblical conservative"—was mocked online after he issued remarks on the House floor that refused to acknowledge other people's genders, a sign he still hasn't gotten over Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson not providing a definition for the word “woman” during her recent SCOTUS Senate confirmation hearing.
When asked for a definition for the word "woman," Jackson, who is Democratic President Joe Biden's nominee to replace the outgoing Associate Justice Stephen Breyer on the Supreme Court, told Tennessee Republican Senator Marsha Blackburn that she could not because "in this context, I’m not a biologist.”
Good, apparently still miffed by the exchange, took a shot at House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, saying he does not "feel qualified" to refer to her by her title, which is "Madame Speaker."
You can hear Good's remarks in the video below.
Good, beginning his speech, said:
“Thank you, Person Speaker. And I say ‘Person Speaker’ because I’m not a biologist and, out of respect to our Supreme Court nominee, I don’t feel qualified to say ‘Madame Speaker.'”
Good's preoccupation with the word "woman" and gender overall is a further example of how transgender issues have recently galvanized the far right, taking a spot at the forefront of attacks conservatives have directed toward the LGBTQ+ community in what has become one of the more defining elements of the culture wars.
Good, who assumed office in 2021, ran an often incendiary campaign, during which he sponsored meetings with clergy members that attacked legislation in Virginia prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
Most notably, his campaign sent invitations that read, “What happens when a male member of your congregation goes on vacation and returns four weeks later as a female?” and attacked the idea of "a man dressed as a woman."
Good was criticized for his display on the House floor.
Good isn't the only Republican bothered by Jackson's refusal to respond to the question.
The week of Jackson's confirmation hearings, Senator Ted Cruz, a Texas Republican, was accused of grandstanding after he mocked transgender people's identities by asking if he as a Hispanic man could "decide" to be Asian, and inquired whether he would "have the ability to be an Asian man and challenge Harvard’s discrimination" in a dig at affirmative action policies designed to improve employment or educational opportunities for underrepresented groups.
Jackson responded she was unable to answer the question because Cruz was asking her about "hypotheticals." Cruz was chastised by Senator Dick Durbin, an Illinois Democrat, for going over his time limit.
After sparring with Durbin, Cruz sat back, took out his phone, and checked his Twitter mentions to see if the moment had begun to trend online, a move that was confirmed by reporters tasked with covering the hearings and that exposed him to widespread mockery.
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