Democratic Minnesota state Rep. Leigh Finke reportedly berated a colleague on Wednesday for sharing a tweet critical of a new bill, according to Alpha News.
Finke, a transgender lawmaker who identifies as a woman, reportedly approached Republican Minnesota state Rep. Dawn Gillman on the House floor for sharing a tweet from the “Gays Against Groomers” Twitter account, Alpha News reported. Gays Against Groomers is an organization comprised of homosexuals who oppose sex changes for minors and the sexualization of children. (RELATED: One Of USA Today’s ‘Women Of The Year’ Is A Man Who Dismissed Child Sex Abuse Allegations Against Local Nonprofit)
Another individual reportedly asked Finke to move the discussion off the floor, to which Finke yelled “no!” the outlet reported. Gillman claims she was left “shaken and fearing for [her] personal safety” after the incident. The Republican lawmaker reportedly asked to be escorted to her car.
“My interaction on Wednesday evening with Rep. Finke left me shaken and fearing for my personal safety. Instead of coming to talk to me, I was yelled at and intimidated on the House Floor,” Gillman said, according to Alpha News.
BREAKING: A transgender representative in Minnesota has introduced a bill that will remove the exclusion of pedophiles from the protected class of “sexual orientation.”
This means it will be illegal to discriminate against child rapists.
This is what we have been sounding the… pic.twitter.com/9Rjbp6C6rz
— Gays Against Groomers (@againstgrmrs) April 26, 2023
Finke has recently come under fire for introducing a bill that would eliminate the exclusion of pedophilia as a protected class under sexual orientation. Finke introduced HF 1655, which would amend the state’s Human Rights Act, which considers sexual orientation a protected class. The bill proposes the removal of a line stating, “‘sexual orientation’ does not include a physical or sexual attachment to children by an adult.”
Finke responded to the backlash on Twitter.
“The past 36 hours in this job have been the most difficult so far. I’ve been confronted, called the worst things possible, threatened with murder,” Finke said, “The volume has been greater than at any point. All for a lie told about a small bill that changes nothing about sexual orientation.”