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Michigan Republican Party co-chair Meshawn Maddock is facing heavy criticism after she called Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg a "weak little girl" in response to remarks Buttigieg made about California’s ban on selling gasoline-fueled cars, which is scheduled to go into effect in 2035.
Earlier this year, Buttigieg moved to Traverse City, Michigan, the hometown of his husband, educator and activist Chasten Buttigieg. He recently indicated that he's "really interested" in California's ban on new gas-powered vehicles in favor of electric ones, saying that it is imperative "that this happens quickly enough to help us beat climate change."
Buttigieg's remarks prompted Maddock to declare that the state of Michigan is "so blessed this weak little girl moved" to the state, adding that it is evident Buttigieg is "bringing all his California Dreaming here with him," suggesting the attempt to tackle climate change is little more than a lofty fairytale.
You can see Maddock's tweet below.
\u201cWe\u2019re so blessed this weak little girl moved to Michigan! Looks like he\u2019s bringing all his California Dreaming here with him.\u201d— meshawn maddock (@meshawn maddock) 1662912957
Maddock's remarks were swiftly criticized, and many called her out for homophobia.
\u201cWOW! These MAGA Republicans don't care about shame anymore. Just straight up open blatant homophobic comment hurled towards Pete Buttigieg. Is this what we've come to expect from our representatives in government?\u201d— Cliff W (@Cliff W) 1663024799
\u201cPlease join me in reporting this disgusting homophobic post.\u201d— #CaliforniaPower #CaliforniaStrong (@#CaliforniaPower #CaliforniaStrong) 1663030076
\u201cInsulting a veteran who fought for your country & being Homophobic in one breath. \nNice work, bigot \ud83d\udd95\u201d— M-A.Stay\u2019Legit \u2122\ufe0f\ud83c\udde8\ud83c\udde6\ud83c\udde9\ud83c\uddea (@M-A.Stay\u2019Legit \u2122\ufe0f\ud83c\udde8\ud83c\udde6\ud83c\udde9\ud83c\uddea) 1662969490
\u201cI think it\u2019s really underrated that a lot of republicans are just mean, bad people\u201d— abdu \ud83c\udf81 (@abdu \ud83c\udf81) 1662950796
\u201cOnly stupid inarticulate people like Meshawn Maddock utter homophobic comments about someone like Sec of Treasury Pete Buttigieg, a military veteran, Harvard Graduate & past Mayor of South Bend, Indiana. Her rhetoric is abhorrent & inexcusable. Oust her Michigan!\u201d— Linda (@Linda) 1662953144
\u201cA self-hating homophobe on display for the GOP. A day ending in y.\u201d— Luigi \ud83d\ude37\ud83d\ude37\ud83d\ude37\ud83d\ude37 Scardoffi (@Luigi \ud83d\ude37\ud83d\ude37\ud83d\ude37\ud83d\ude37 Scardoffi) 1662962570
\u201c@CoChairMeshawn is a vile deplorable excuse for a human being.\u201d— I_was_there_for_715 (@I_was_there_for_715) 1662948969
\u201cMeshawn Maddock is the co-chair of the Michigan GOP. \nThis tweet is vile.\nAnyone who speaks this way about any human being has no business being in any position of authority.\u201d— Sheryl Landgraf \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6 \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf2 \ud83c\udf0a\ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\ud83c\udf08 \ud83d\udc4a\ud83c\udfff (@Sheryl Landgraf \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6 \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf2 \ud83c\udf0a\ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\ud83c\udf08 \ud83d\udc4a\ud83c\udfff) 1662946229
\u201cNext time the @GOP gets its feelings hurt over being called fascists, racists, homophobes, and bigots or complains about \u201cdivisiveness\u201d \u2026 share the @MIGOP co-chair\u2019s tweet below.\u201d— \u14aa\u15e9\u144e\u1455\u15f4 \ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\ud83c\udf08 (@\u14aa\u15e9\u144e\u1455\u15f4 \ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\ud83c\udf08) 1662950209
Buttigieg has regularly been the target of homophobic attacks from members of the Republican Party, most notably from Georgia Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, who is one of the more vocally anti-LGBTQ+ members of Congress.
In March, she was criticized after she launched into an attack against Buttigieg and his husband Chasten, demanding they “stay out of our girls' bathrooms" and suggested that they are both sexual predators.
Colorado Republican Representative Lauren Boebert, who has often been compared to Greene for employing similar rhetoric, criticized Buttigieg for taking parental leave amid a global supply-chain crisis, saying he was "not working" because he was "trying to figure out how to chestfeed."
Gendered pejoratives have historically been directed at gay men, and their use is often linked to sexism and bias against a sexual orientation and practices that have long challenged established cisgender heterosexual norms.