Rep. Mary Franson is taking heat for an anti-transgender tweet she sent out shortly after several transgender candidates won Tuesday night — including the victories of Andrea Jenkins and Philippe Cunningham for the Minneapolis City Council.
The tweet was flagged by City Pages’ Mike Mullin on Thursday afternoon and soon Franson was deluged with negative feedback about her tweet.
By late-Thursday evening, the Minnesota LGBTQ Legislative Caucus had issued a statement condemning Franson’s tweet.
“It is a shame to read on social media a statement by a public official that perpetuates a false and pejorative stereotype about transgender people,” the statement read. “We encourage our colleague, Representative Mary Franson, to get the facts and to get to know transgender people herself. She will quickly learn that, as the American Psychological Association says, being transgender is not a mental illness. Problems arise for transgender people from lack of support and acceptance that creates the path for discrimination, and all too often assault, that almost all transgender people experience at one time or another. When leaders who hold positions of respect casually trade in negative comments about transgender people, some interpret that as an invitation to treat their fellow Minnesotans poorly.”
Franson is one of the more anti-LGBTQ Republicans in the Minnesota House. She signed a letter backing North Carolina’s discriminatory laws, co-sponsored a bill that would bar transgender employees from using the bathroom, called the Safe and Supportive Minnesota Schools Act that protects LGBTQ students “fascism Minnesota style,” rallied against marriage equality, and co-sponsored a marriage amendment.
By Friday morning, Franson had deactivated her personal Twitter feed, but that hasn’t stopped people from criticizing Franson’s assertion that she practices kindness (#practicekindness).
And today, in more good news in Minnesota for trans people… @MaryFranson is no longer on twitter… #bye
— TransChance Health (@transchance) November 10, 2017
So what was that about practicing kindness? I see none of that on your tweets
— caseynielsen (@caseynielsen) November 9, 2017
This is abusive and harmful. #practicekindness??
— Dr Keven, PhD (see bio) (@TallKeven) November 9, 2017
https://twitter.com/ol_roy_batty/status/928774222805176320
.@MaryFranson hate speech is not practicing kindness. Being transgender is not a mental health condition. Supporting people who are transgender is not "participating in a fantasy". You are not a good representative for the people of Alexandria, MN. #unseatmaryfranson
— Casi Nelson (@CasiNelson) November 10, 2017
Here’s the full statement from the Minnesota LGBTQ Legislative Caucus:
Mary Franson exemplifies the fact, that one of the necessities to be a Republican, is to be as Ignorant as possible. Ms. Franson you fit the bill. Science has empirically proven that being Trans is simply a Birth Anomaly. It is a proven fact that our brains do match the Gender opposite, that which we were assigned as when born. Please do some honest education and meet some of US Trans.
ChloeAlexa.
Mary Franson has spoken the truth. She is standing up to the LGBT community and I support her in that.
The word “woman” means something more than just a preference for pink and dresses. It signifies a biological reality. Are there people who don’t like their personal biological reality? Sure. But thinking you’re an orange when you’re really an apple doesn’t change what you are.
it is no srprise that mary is a diehard republican, a party that has come out in support of pedophiles rapists, draft dodgers and sexual predators,while spitting on the teachings of the Lord and attacking our vets and the disabled whom Jesus blessed, like a deadly serpant being draged out from under a rock the GOP is exposed to the light of day for. all the world to see their hate and perversion, their days of using God as a club to destroy their enemies and perserve their perverse way of life are over.
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