Though Rep. Marie Newman (D-IL) and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) are on opposite sides of the political aisle, their DC Congressional offices are right across the hall from each other.
It was Greene’s close proximity to Newman’s office that prompted the first-term Illinois Congresswoman to put a transgender equality flag on display outside of her own doorway earlier this week after Greene attempted to block the so-called “Equality Act” from moving forward in the House.
Newman boasted about her actions on Twitter and Facebook, proclaiming that Greene believed “prohibiting discrimination against trans Americans is ‘disgusting, immoral, and evil.'” At the end of the clip, you can see Newman rubbing her hands together as though she was declaring the issue over:
Our neighbor, @RepMTG, tried to block the Equality Act because she believes prohibiting discrimination against trans Americans is “disgusting, immoral, and evil.”
Thought we’d put up our Transgender flag so she can look at it every time she opens her door 😉🏳️⚧️ pic.twitter.com/dV8FatQFnx
— Congresswoman Marie Newman (@RepMarieNewman) February 24, 2021
It didn’t take long for Greene to respond in kind, posting her own video showing her placing a sign declaring there are only two genders outside of her doorway:
Our neighbor, @RepMarieNewman, wants to pass the so-called "Equality" Act to destroy women’s rights and religious freedoms.
Thought we’d put up ours so she can look at it every time she opens her door 😉🇺🇸 https://t.co/7joKpTh6Dc pic.twitter.com/aBGRSiIF6X
— Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (@RepMTG) February 24, 2021
Since Newman has a transgender daughter, the predictable outrage ensued, with the media, Democrats, and even some on the right accusing her of “attacking” Newman’s daughter.
But along the way, something unexpected happened. Newman’s Facebook post that included the video of her putting the flag up was labeled “hate speech.” She took to the Twitter machine to blast the popular social media platform, saying that it was really Greene’s post that was hateful:
Facebook took down our video of me putting up the Transgender flag outside my office and labeled it as “hate speech.”
Meanwhile, they’re still allowing Marjorie Taylor Greene’s transphobic video to be posted.
Supporting transgender Americans is NOT hate speech. pic.twitter.com/dU2eXUpZSy
— Congresswoman Marie Newman (@RepMarieNewman) February 25, 2021
Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) ripped Facebook as well, claiming they were “just a hate speech platform now.” Of course, she left out the part about how she’s engaged anti-Semitic hate speech in the past on social media, but I digress:
What the hell is this, @Facebook? We see through your bullshit, you're just a hate speech platform now.
Transphobia and Islamophobia get signal boosted and a mom defending her child gets removed. Pathetic. https://t.co/vs5hIu36r0
— Rashida Tlaib (@RashidaTlaib) February 25, 2021
Unlike how it would be if it had been a Republican lodging the complaint, Facebook spokesman Andy Stone rushed to respond to Newman’s Twitter post by apologizing and claiming it was a mistake:
Congresswoman, this plainly should not have happened. We've restored this content and you have our sincere apologies.
— Andy Stone (@andymstone) February 25, 2021
I mean, if worse came to worse and Newman’s post had not been put back up, she could have simply started her own social media platform, right? I mean that’s what Republicans who are routinely censored and/or temporarily/permanently banned get told, anyway:
There’s nothing stopping Marie Newman from building her own Facebook. https://t.co/wG4pBAc9kk
— Max Nordau (@MaxNordau) February 25, 2021
Oh – by the way, welcome to the club, Rep. Newman:
Being falsely accused of "hate speech" and having Big Tech censor you sucks, doesn't it, Congresswoman? https://t.co/QA4GDRpK4Y
— Sister Toldjah, VP of BS Detection 😁 (@sistertoldjah) February 25, 2021
For the record, here is what Greene has actually said about the Equality Act, which falls in line with how most Republicans in the House and Senate feel about it:
The so-called “Equality” Act is not about stopping discrimination.
It’s about causing discrimination against women and religious freedom.
I moved to adjourn for the day to give the 117th Congress more time to think about this immoral bill. pic.twitter.com/GIbKxeL7kk
— Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (@RepMTG) February 25, 2021
As mothers, we all love and support our children.
But your biological son does NOT belong in my daughters’ bathrooms, locker rooms, and sports teams. https://t.co/ex0LXGHAew
— Marjorie Taylor Greene 🇺🇸 (@mtgreenee) February 24, 2021
Despite Republican efforts to stall the bill, it passed just a few minutes ago in the House by a vote of 224-206. The Senate, however, will be a much tougher sell.
As they say, stay tuned.
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