Marjorie Taylor Greene uses Libs Of TikTok video to attack Nikki Haley on trans rights
Marjorie Taylor Greene (L) has attempted to accuse anti-LGBTQ+ Republican Nikki Haley of supporting trans healthcare. (Anna Moneymaker/ Win McNamee/Getty Images)
Donald Trump supporter Marjorie Taylor Greene has accused fellow Republican presidential hopeful Nikki Haley of supporting transgender kids and their parents.
On Monday (8 January), congresswoman Greene used her X/Twitter profile to share anti-LGBTQ+ content published by the Libs of TikTok account and attack Haley’s candidacy.
The post was captioned “Remember when Nikki Haley said parents should be able to let their 12-year-old kids get se* change surgeries? This should’ve immediately ended her campaign. Completely disqualifying.”
Greene shared the post, saying: “Add child sex change surgeries to the list of reasons no one should support Nikki Haley.”
In the edited video, Haley is heard responding to a hypothetical question about 12-year-old transgender child: “I think the law should stay out of it, I think parents should handle it.”
But what the 19-second clip from a June 2023 interview with CBS didn’t include was context.
“This is a job for the parents to handle. Then, when that child becomes 18, if they want to make more of a permanent change, they can do that,” Haley added in a statement that was cut out of the Libs of TikTok’s post.
Earlier this month, Greene tried to rally HIV activists against the former chief medical advisor Dr Anthony Fauci, despite her long history of anti-LGBTQ+ and HIV-phobic comments.
Former South Carolina governor and United Nations ambassador Haley, who has previously criticised the idea of trans women joining women’s sports teams, joined the race for the White House 11 months ago.
According to RealClear Politics’ average of polls she is in second place with 11 per cent, well behind frontrunner Donald Trump, who has 62.7 per cent support. Florida governor Ron DeSantis has 10.9 per cent.
Despite Greene’s attack, Haley has frequently spoken against transgender rights and described improving them as a “trend”. She is also a supporter of anti-abortion groups. Responding to Pro-life America, in February, she wrote: “Thank you for the work you do. Every life is a gift from God. #EveryLifeCounts.”
At the end of last year, Haley reiterated her opposition to transgender women taking part in sports, claiming that trans people are “erasing” women.
She has shown opposition to the LGBTQ+ community throughout her presidential campaign, attacking influencer Dylan Mulvaney, claiming Florida’s Don’t Say Gay law “doesn’t go far enough”, and even blaming teen suicide rates on transgender girls using girls’ changing rooms.
