Marjorie Taylor Greene deadnames and misgenders Rachel Levine in hateful House speech
Marjorie Taylor Greene deadnamed and repeatedly misgendered Dr Rachel Levine in her House speech (X/Marjorie Taylor Greene/ Getty Images)
Marjorie Taylor Greene used her time on the House floor this week to make horrifying, though sadly unsurprising, comments about the trans community and Dr Rachel Levine.
The far-right Republican rep and conspiracy theory enthusiast used her speech to target US Assistant Secretary for Health, Dr Rachel Levine, campaigning for her salary to be reduced to just $1 while misgendering and deadnaming her.
Standing in front of a sign that read: “There are TWO genders: MALE & FEMALE. ‘Trust the science!’”, Greene introduced her proposed amendment to the Labour, Health and Human Services Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act of 2024, to “castrate” Levine’s salary.
Levine is the first openly transgender federal official to be confirmed by the US Senate. Before taking on a role in President Joe Biden’s administration, Harvard-educated Levine was a professor of medicine, the physician general of Pennsylvania, and a pediatrician.
During her time in Biden’s administration, to which she was elected in 2021, Levine has publicly endorsed gender-affirming care, which has solidified a number of far-right officials’ stances against her.
Repeatedly referring to Levine by he/him pronouns and deadnaming the federal official, Greene said that her proposed amendment would “reduce – no, castrate the salary of Assistant Secretary of Health [deadname] Levine to $1, the same way he supports castrating children who suffer from gender dysphoria.”
Gender-affirming care for minors has been backed by all major medical associations, including the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Medical Association (AMA) which reaffirmed this summer that they “unequivocally support the health and welfare of people who identify as LGBTQ+, which includes trans and gender diverse people seeking and undergoing gender-affirming care.”
It is incredibly rare for gender-affirming surgery to be performed on minors, and unheard of for young children, nor as Dr Levine ever recommended that trans children should undergo surgery.
Rather, transgender or gender non-conforming minors diagnosed are more likely to be treated with puberty blockers or hormone replacement therapy, as recommended by their doctors.
Such treatment can often be life-saving for people suffering from gender dysphoria, and other serious mental health issues.
Despite Levine’s decades of experience and accolades, Greene referred to her as a “diversity hire” who was hired to “push the demonic gender-affirming care agenda” and was “empowering kids to mutilate and castrate themselves.”
Greene continued: “It is our job to protect our children from sexual groomers like Levine and reducing his salary to $1 is a strong first step.”
Greene also condemned Levine’s endorsement of vaccine requirements in schools, telling the House that she was “more concerned with woke gender and vaccine agendas than serving the everyday health needs of the American people.”
This pointless recommendation from Greene is a recycled bit that comes just one week after she made an identical proposal for Transport Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who is openly gay.
Greene alleged that Buttigieg got his job because of his “identity politics” and was spending public funding to “receive awards for the way certain people have sex”, citing already debunked and outright false claims.
