Republican Refers to Transgender Lawmaker as a Man, Halting House Hearing

A Republican lawmaker cut short a House hearing on Tuesday after misgendering Representative Sarah McBride, the first openly transgender member of Congress.

During a session of the Europe Subcommittee of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Chairman Representative Keith Self of Texas introduced McBride by mistakenly calling her “Mr. McBride.”

While McBride has generally chosen to ignore such slights, she briefly addressed the error, responding with “Thank you, Madam Chair” before continuing with her remarks.

However, Representative William Keating of Massachusetts, the subcommittee's ranking Democrat, was not willing to let the mistake pass. He interrupted the proceedings, asking Self to repeat the introduction. Self again referred to McBride as “Mr. McBride,” prompting Keating to take further action, leading to the hearing being abruptly adjourned.

A Republican lawmaker abruptly ended a congressional hearing on Tuesday after being challenged for misgendering Representative Sarah McBride, the first openly transgender lawmaker in Congress.

The incident occurred during a hearing of the Europe Subcommittee of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, which was discussing arms control and U.S. assistance to Europe. Chairman Representative Keith Self of Texas introduced McBride by mistakenly calling her “Mr. McBride.”

McBride, who has long been aware that her position in Congress makes her a frequent target for Republican attacks on transgender issues, usually lets such slights slide. On Tuesday, however, she briefly responded to the mistake by saying, “Thank you, Madam Chair,” before continuing with her remarks.

Representative William Keating of Massachusetts, the ranking Democrat on the subcommittee, was not willing to let it pass. He interrupted the proceedings to request that Self correct his introduction. Self repeated the mistake, again referring to McBride as “Mr. McBride,” prompting Keating to challenge him further.