One Trump campaign adviser found herself in hot water after sharing a tweet that misgendered a transgender woman who’s Pennsylvania’s top health official, The Hill [1] reports.
“This guy is making decisions about your health,” wrote Jenna Ellis, a senior legal adviser to the campaign in a tweet that referenced the official.
Ellis’s [2] tweet also included a link to a story in May in which Dr. Rachel Levine, Pennsylvania’s Secretary of Health asked a reporter not to misgender her after reporter Marty Griffin called her “sir” a number of times during [3] a press conference.
People who are openly transgender in public office are comparatively rare [4] and Levine is one of the highest-ranking trans individuals in the U.S.
“Dr. Levine is laser-focused on assisting Pennsylvanians in the midst of a national pandemic,” said Pennsylvania Department of Public Health spokesman Nate Wardle in an interview with The Hill. “She does not have time for this nonsense.”
The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) roundly excoriated Ellis, noting in a statement [5] that her remarks are an attempt to dehumanize a doctor who is working to fight the pandemic.
“Jenna Ellis is a bigot and Dr. Levine is a patriot — plain and simple,” HRC president Alphonso David said in the statement. “Dr. Levin illustrates character and patriotism while Ellis cannot even define those terms.”
In June, Ellis claimed [6] “the progressive left is a ‘domestically grown’ enemy” that’s seeking to destroy society. She’s also made the case [7] that civil society must be grounded in the “objective” truth of the Bible and in Christian definitions of justice, morality, and family.”
So yes, she’s one of those kinds of people. This isn’t lost on David, who noted Ellis is being disrespectful.
“Using a person’s pronouns is a basic level of respect,” he said. “Despite claims of allyship, Donald Trump, Mike Pence, and their staff have gone out of their way to dehumanize and attack transgender and non-binary people for simply existing.”
Unsurprisingly, Ellis waved the criticism away, writing in an email to The Hill that the HRC “thinks it can define character and patriotism while it apparently can’t even define male and female.”
She also clapped back on Twitter at a Washington Post reporter who included a screenshot of her tweet next to a photo of a Trump campaign T-shirt in LGBTQ pride colors.
“I have a lot of pride too that Donald Trump is your president! Great shirt,” she responded.
I have a lot of pride too that Donald Trump is your President! Great shirt! https://t.co/VENrkogH0d [8]
— Jenna Ellis (@JennaEllisEsq) August 10, 2020 [9]
That led some Twitter users to question whether Ellis’s tweet violated Twitter’s policies on hate and abuse. The social media giant prohibits slurs or content that are intended to degrade others, and this includes intentionally misgendering transgender individuals, according to the platform’s hateful conduct policy.
Levine, appointed to her current position by Governor Tom Wolfe (D) in 2017, has been a major force in fighting the coronavirus, which has subsequently meant she’s targeted by abuse. Wolfe issued a statement [10] in July that condemned the attacks after a carnival derided Levine in a Facebook post.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has brought hate and transphobia into the spotlight through relentless comments and slurs directed at Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine,” Wolfe said.
“Levine is a distinguished and accomplished public servant,” he added. “She is committed to keeping Pennsylvanians safe and healthy, even those who direct hate-fueled attacks at her. I’m proud of the work she has done.”
Levine also has her own thoughts about this, saying at a July news conference that the transphobic comments directed at her “perpetuates a spirit of intolerance and discrimination” against LGBTQ people. It can be safely assumed that those directing these hateful remarks at Dr. Levine are very likely Trump supporters. His racist and misogynistic remarks have encouraged these people to emerge from the rocks where they were hiding. No doubt they see this as a chance to be on their worst behavior with impunity. Let’s hope these people climb back under their rocks come Election Day.