Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene made transphobic remarks against Illinois’ Democratic Rep. Marie Newman’s transgender daughter Thursday — and it’s not the first time she’s made Newman’s child a target.
“(Newman’s) so-called daughter is a trans, biological adult son, approximately close to the same age as my two, very much biological real girls – daughters,” Greene, R-Ga., said Thursday at a fundraiser for another GOP congresswoman, according to WBEZ Chicago.
Greene’s controversial rhetoric and behavior have landed her in hot water before. In February, she was stripped of all her House committee assignments due to incendiary posts on social media. Republicans called the move a result of “cancel culture.”
Greene added Thursday that she’s taken to calling Newman “Newperson,” “‘cause she doesn’t believe in gender.”
“I don’t want to offend her, so I changed her name from Newman to Newperson…She is very confused,” Greene said. “As a matter of fact, so is her son.”
Pat Mullane, a spokesperson for Newman, declined to comment on Greene’s remarks and said the office is “basically trying to ignore her.”
In response to USA TODAY’s request for comment, Greene said that Newman “attacked her first” and reiterated her assertion that Newman’s transgender daughter should not be allowed to share restroom facilities with cisgender girls because of her sex assigned at birth.
“As a woman, we don’t want men in our bathrooms or in our sports. Period,” Greene said through a spokesperson. “I will keep telling the story of Marie Newperson’s (sic) attack on me and no, I won’t back down when the media attempts to smear me for it.”
Greene’s remarks are a continuation of a feud between herself and Newman that started in February.
More: Marjorie Taylor Greene faces backlash after attacking congresswoman with transgender daughter
In a February House floor speech regarding the Equality Act, legislation protecting the civil rights of LGBTQ Americans, Newman said the act was important for transgender people like her daughter. Greene tweeted shortly after denying Newman’s daughter’s gender identity.
“Your biological son does NOT belong in my daughters’ bathrooms, locker rooms, and sports teams,” Greene said.
In response, Newman placed a transgender pride flag outside her office and shared a video of her putting it up, saying she wanted Greene to see it. Newman and Greene’s congressional offices are across the hall from each other.
Greene retorted by creating a similar video of herself posting a sign, which reads: “”There are TWO genders: MALE & FEMALE. Trust The Science!”
The clash between the two congresswomen drew ire on social media, and members of Congress from both parties stood up for Newman and her daughter.
“This is sad and I’m sorry this happened. Rep. Newmans daughter is transgender, and this video and tweet represents the hate and fame driven politics of self-promotion at all evil costs,” Illinois Republican Rep. Kinzinger tweeted in response to Greene’s video.
“Protections & rights for transgender folks is literally a life or death issue,” Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., also tweeted. “To have a congressperson deny their existence & deny their need for rights is cruel and should not be what government is about.”
The Thursday fundraiser in downstate Illinois was held for freshman Republican Rep. Mary Miller.
“(Miller) needs your help,” Greene said Thursday. “We aren’t the popular girls in Washington.”
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Like Greene, Miller has been criticized for inflammatory language. The Illinois Republican cited Adolf Hitler in a Washington speech in January. After criticism from her Republican colleagues, she apologized for the remarks.
Greene did not hold back Thursday on using the kind of language that has raised her profile nationally. In her speech, she called the COVID-19 pandemic “the great Chinese pandemic” and Muslim members of Congress and their allies “the jihad squad,” .
While running for office, videos of Greene surfaced in which she expressed racist and Islamophobic views, suggesting that Muslims should not hold office and that Black people are “slaves to the Democratic Party.” The Georgia representative has also compared mask mandates to the Holocaust and the Democratic Party to Nazis.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Marjorie Taylor Greene makes transphobic comments at fundraiser