Narrowly Reelected Speaker, Johnson Targets LGBTQ Americans
Republican condemns “social justice” after retaining top job in House
Reelected House speaker only after a pair of GOP members switched their votes, Republican Mike Johnson immediately took aim at LGBTQ+ Americans, and transgender Americans in particular.
Facing an uncertain vote ahead of Friday’s opening day of the new Congress, Johnson crossed the threshold of retaining the speakership only after Reps. Keith Self and Ralph Norman — eventually approached the dais and switched their votes, barely putting Johnson over the top.
In remarks immediately after his reelection, Johnson took a swipe at those who are LGBTQ+ — and transgender, in particular.
Johnson railed against “social justice” in the military and schools.
“For too long, the Washington establishment has sought to please and accommodate our nation's adversaries. They’ve tried to replace our military warriors with social justice warriors. While we are still the most powerful fighting force in the world by God’s grace, the same establishment has eroded the capacities of our armies and navy and diminished the readiness of our air force. What we are proposing is simply, as President Trump likes to say, a return to common sense, and he is exactly right,” Johnson declared, outlining his military priorities.
Although Johnson frames discrimination against LGBTQ+ and transgender Americans as “common sense,” a 2020 report co-authored by three former military surgeons general along with scholars from the Palm Center assessed the impact of the ban and found that it “compromis[ed] recruitment, reputation, retention, unit cohesion, morale, medical care, and good order and discipline.”
Trump has pledged to reinstate a ban on transgender Americans serving openly in the US military while Johnson recently declared a ban on transgender women using women's restrooms in the House complex.
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