Florida Republican Calls Trans People ‘Imps’ and ‘Mutants’ From X-Men
Image: Florida Republican Rep. Webster Barnaby (right) and a still from the Hollywood blockbuster X-Men. Images: Facebook.
A Republican Florida state lawmaker made a half-hearted apology for his comments during a debate on a controversial bathroom bill, in which he referred to transgender people as “imps”, “mutants” and “demons” from the Marvel movie X-Men.
The bill sought to ban gender-affirming care for minors and prohibit trans people from the bathroom that matches their gender. Republican Rep. Webster Barnaby chose air his bigoted views during the debate.
“I’m looking at society today, and it’s like I’m watching an X-Men movie. It’s like we have mutants living among us on planet Earth,” he said.
Florida Republican Rep. Webster Barnaby directly compared trans people to mutants in X-Men and called the trans people, including children, present in the room “demons and imps.”
This was during debate for HB1421 that would criminalize trans people using bathrooms. pic.twitter.com/y5VsCKeAfJ
— Alejandra Caraballo (@Esqueer_) April 10, 2023
A Self-Proclaimed Christian Conservative
Barnaby is a self-proclaimed “proud Christian conservative”, stating that Earth is “where God created men, male, and women, female!”
“The Lord rebuke you Satan, and all of your demons and all of your imps who come and parade before us,” he said during the debate. “That’s right, I called you demons and imps who come and parade before us and pretend you are part of this world.”
He later gave a partial apology after the bill had passed. “I referred to trans people as demons – I would like to apologise to the trans community for referring to you as demons.”
Barnaby maintained, however, that he still stands by the rest of his comments and was only apologising for the demon remark.
Florida Republican Webster Barnaby stands by calling transgender people “mutants and imps”.
He also stands by his forced apology only for the part where he called them “demons”. pic.twitter.com/CHRY1s5rZo
— Carlos Guillermo Smith (@CarlosGSmith) April 11, 2023
Missed The Point Of X-Men
While it’s never a good thing to compare anyone, trans or otherwise, as demons, imps and mutants, it didn’t take long for Twitter users to point out how far Barnaby missed the mark.
Ah yes the villians known as the *checks notes* x-men.
— Your friendly 4th stringer (@4thstringer) April 10, 2023
X-Men? There is LITERALLY a meme for that pic.twitter.com/kZ7OHtOArw
— Aqua: Guardian of the Cosmos (@fluttershyyay49) April 10, 2023
Irl Stryker pic.twitter.com/tc5RIeRpBV
— Posadist John (@Atomic_dolphins) April 11, 2023
“Someone missed the point of the X-Men movies. Can we now hear from Trump about how Lex Luthor was misunderstood?” one user wrote.
“Bro knows that the X-men are the heroes right? Anyone [wanna] tell him?” another wrote.
