Arkansas state Sen. Matt McKee drew audible gasps from his liberal colleagues and the audience during a Judiciary Committee hearing earlier this week when he asked a transgender pharmacist, “Do you have a penis?”
The question was directed at Little Rock pharmacist Gwendolyn Herzig, who testified before the committee.
“You said you’re a trans woman?” Mackey asked. “Do you have a penis?”
Several in the audience could be heard gasping and one shouting, “Disrespectful!”
Herzig replied that the question was “terrible.”
“I don’t know what my rights are, but this question was very inappropriate,” Herzig said.
“I’m a healthcare professional, a doctor,” Herzig continued. “Please treat me like this. Next question, please.”
Republicans are not hiding their transphobia.
On the Judiciary Committee today, one senator asked a doctor if he “had sex” and another claimed that gender confirmation care was a TikTok plot in China.
Then, they passed #SB199 Developing malpractice laws for life-saving care. pic.twitter.com/kvllGCcwnX
— Democratic Party of Arkansas (@ArchDems) February 13, 2023
The Democratic Party of Arkansas addressed the viral exchange on Twitter, saying “Republicans aren’t hiding their transphobia.”
After the exchange, Republican lawmakers passed SB199 through the Arkansas Senate Judiciary Committee. If passed, the bill would prohibit doctors from performing transgender surgeries or prescribing puberty blockers and hormones to minors.