Gay lawmaker’s emotional takedown of Republican colleague over anti-trans bill goes viral

Words: Alastair James; pictures: Twitter/@DemCast

A clip of a Democrat lawmaker in the state of Missouri has gone viral after he called out a Republican politician for supporting anti-LGBTQ legislation.

Ian Mackey’s anger is palpable in the clip from a debate on Wednesday (13 April) where he admonishes Representative Chuck Basye for pushing a bill that will see school districts ban trans athletes from youth sports.

In the clip, Mackey recounts a story Bayse told a year earlier about his brother being afraid to come out to him for fear of being rejected. 

“I would have been afraid to tell you too”

“Why do you think he thought that?” Mackey asks Bayse, who replies: “I don’t know. It never would have happened though, I’ll tell you that. My kids at that point in their lives adored my brother.”

Mackey then says that if he had been Bayse’s brother, “I would have been afraid to tell you too” because of his brother’s support for bills such as the one they were discussing.

“I would have been afraid to tell you to because of stuff like this, because this is what you’re focused on. This is the legislation you want to put forward. This is what consumes your time. I would have been afraid to tell you too. I was afraid of people like you growing up,” he goes on to say.

👀Watch MO Rep @IanMack03007724 (HD87) destroy bigoted Republican Rep Chuck Basye’s (HD47) LGBTQ+ Hate bill!
This bill goes against his OWN BROTHER! He doesn’t see his bro as a “pedo,” so why does he think that about every other gay person?#DemCast #LGBTQpic.twitter.com/7aYEINpnTe

— DemCast (@DemCastUSA) April 15, 2022

Mackey, who grew up in Hickory county, Missouri, in an area he says would have voted in favour of the anti-trans bill, also said that he spent 18 years with supposedly “nice” people like Bayse who would then vote for anti-inclusive laws.

“Thank God I made it out … I think every day about the kids who are still there who haven’t made it out, who haven’t escaped from this kind of bigotry. Gentlemen, I’m not afraid of you anymore. Because you’re gonna lose.

“You may win this today, but you’re going to lose.”

One version of the clip has more than 5 million views.

Following a three-hour debate, the bill passed by 89 votes to 40, but still needs to go to the state’s Senate to be approved.

It’s one of more than 200 pieces of proposed anti-LGBTQ legislation, according to Freedom For All Americans.

The Attitude May/June issue featuring the cast of Heartstopper is out now.