Twitter Locks Out GOP Lawmaker for Calling Transgender Biden Official ‘a Man’
Rep. Jim Banks punished by tech giant for tweet
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GOP Rep. Jim Banks (R-IN) was locked out of Twitter after he referred to the Department of Health and Human Services Assistant Secretary, Rachel Levine, who is transgender, as a “man.”
Banks’ account was locked after calling biological male Levine a “man” in an October 18 tweet.
Daily Signal reporter Mary Margaret Olohan tweeted:
“Twitter has censored @RepJimBanks for calling HHS’ Rachel Levine a man. He will be locked out of his account until he deletes the tweet, ‘The title of first female four-star officer gets taken by a man.’”
NEW: Twitter has censored @RepJimBanks for calling HHS' Rachel Levine a man. He will be locked out of his account until he deletes the tweet, "The title of first female four-star officer gets taken by a man." pic.twitter.com/6wdDqJ36kH
— Mary Margaret Olohan (@MaryMargOlohan) October 23, 2021
As of Sunday afternoon, the tweet appeared to have been removed from Banks’ account.
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Another tweet bashing Levine is still active, however.
“Calling someone that was born and lived as a man for 54 years the first ‘female’ four-star officer is an insult to every little girl who dreams of breaking glass ceilings one day,” Banks tweeted on October 19.
Calling someone that was born and lived as a man for 54 years the first "female" four-star officer is an insult to every little girl who dreams of breaking glass ceilings one day. https://t.co/bHKmJbE6cA
— Jim Banks (@RepJimBanks) October 19, 2021
Levine was sworn in as the first transgender four-star admiral earlier this month.
"I'm doing this because of my dedication to service ... with the utmost respect and honor for the uniform that I will be wearing," Levine told the Washington Post at the time.
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HHS said in a press release:
“The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) publicly announced today the nation’s first openly transgender four-star officer across any of the eight uniformed services of the United States."
“Admiral Rachel Levine, who serves as the HHS Assistant Secretary for Health and head of the U.S. Public Health Service (USPHS) Commissioned Corps, was ceremonially sworn in as a four-star admiral.”
“Admiral Levine now serves as the highest-ranking official in the USPHS Commissioned Corps and its first-ever female four-star admiral. Admiral Levine will lead 6,000 Public Health Service officers who are dedicated to serving our nation’s most underserved and vulnerable populations,” HHS continued.
“Today’s historic announcement builds on the accomplishments of LGBTQ+ History Month and is a major step forward as we work to create a more inclusive society.”
