LGBT+ activists call on Michael Bloomberg to apologise for calling trans women ‘some guy in a dress’
Democratic presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg
LGBT+ activists are calling on Democratic presidential hopeful Michael Bloomberg to apologise for calling trans women “some guy in a dress”.
Bloomberg has been attempting to defend his LGBT+ record after a video surfaced in which he called trans people “it”.
The former Republican and three-time mayor of New York made the comments during an event last year, before launching his presidential bid.
The billionaire businessman, a late entrant in the Democratic primaries, said that āyou can understand where somebody like Trump comes fromā and suggested that a candidate who vocally supports trans rights was someone bound to lose.
āIf your conversation during a presidential election is about some guy wearing a dress and whether āheā, āsheā, or āitā can go to the locker room with their daughter, thatās not a winning formula with most people,ā he said.
Alphonso David, president of the LGBT+ equality organisation Human Rights Campaign, called on Michael Bloomberg to apologise for his comments.
āTransgender women arenāt āhe, she or it,āā Alphonso David said in a statement posted toĀ Twitter.Ā āTheyāre women. LGBTQ people are human and deserve to be treated with respect.ā
“Over the last decade, right-wing extremists have attacked transgender people, their humanity and their rights at every opportunity.
“And in 2019, at least 26 transgender and gender non-conforming people lost their lives to fatal violence.
“Words matter and Mayor Bloomberg should apologise for using language that demoralises and dehumanises members of our community.”
Yesterday, it emerged that Bloomberg is selling $22 T-shirts with the slogan “Protect trans rights”.
The T-shirtsĀ feature the slogan āprotect trans rightsā in the pink, white and blue colours of the trans pride flag.
Underneath the slogan is Bloombergās own slogan: āMike Bloomberg 2020.ā
Bloombergās website makes it clear that the campaign will not profit from sales of the t-shirt.
Bloomberg was a firm supporter of LGBT+ rights while serving as New York City mayor and has said he hopes to carry that through to the White House with a ācomprehensive policy to ensure LGBTQ+ equalityā.
