A Virginia state senator stormed out of the chamber after being misgendered as "sir" by the lieutenant governor in a confrontation that caused the Virginia legislature to go into recess twice, the The Daily Mail reported Tuesday.
In video footage of the exchange, Sen. Danica Roem, who is transgender and a Democrat, can be heard asking: "Madame President, how many votes would it take to pass this bill with the emergency clause?"
Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, a Republican replied, "Yes, sir, that would be 32," at which point Roem marched out of the room.
After initially refusing to apologize, Earle-Sears later was contrite, according to The Sacramento Bee.
"I am not here to upset anyone. I am here to do the job that the people of Virginia have called me to do," Earle-Sears told the chamber. "That is to treat everyone with respect and dignity. I myself have at times not been afforded that same respect and dignity."
Earle-Sears made it clear that, "in this body, as long as I am president of the Senate, and by the grace of God, I will be treated with respect and dignity. And I will treat everyone else with respect and dignity."
She reiterated that "we are all equal under the law. I apologize, and I would hope everyone would understand there's no intent to offend."
Roem, who is the first transgender senator elected to Virginia's upper chamber, has not commented publicly since the interaction.
Brian Freeman ✉
Brian Freeman, a Newsmax writer based in Israel, has more than three decades writing and editing about culture and politics for newspapers, online and television.
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