Democratic presidential hopeful Mike
Bloomberg has apologized for disparaging remarks he made against the
transgender community.
In a statement given to LGBT blog
NewNowNext, Bloomberg said that he realized that his “words
had caused hurt.”
“It was a poor attempt to describe
how some who oppose transgender equality think about this issue –
and those words do not reflect my unwavering support for equality for
transgender Americans,” Bloomberg
said. “I want to offer my sincere apologies to the members of
the transgender community.”
Video of Bloomberg's comments made in
2019 surfaced earlier this month.
Bloomberg made the comments at a forum
hosted by the Bermuda Business Development Agency in Manhattan. He
was not a presidential candidate at the time.
“If your conversation during a
presidential election is about some guy wearing a dress and whether
he, she, or it can go to the locker room with their daughter, that’s
not a winning formula for most people,” Bloomberg said. “They
care about health care, they care about education, they care about
safety, and all of those kinds of things.”
“And so you can understand where
somebody like Trump comes from; you can understand when you look at
the Democratic Party, they are so far left that two years ago there
was nobody on their side who would take these positions, and today
virtually all the candidates for president of the Democratic Party
are so progressive. I don’t know what progressive means.”
The video was posted on YouTube shortly
after the March event but received little attention.
In his statement, Bloomberg noted a
recent fatal attack in Puerto Rico against a transgender woman.
(Related: Homeless
transgender woman murdered in Puerto Rico.)
“We need a president who will set the
moral compass to ensure safety, respect, and dignity for all trans
people,” Bloomberg said. “As mayor, I signed a sweeping
transgender civil rights bill and, as president, will promote
policies that advance equality for transgender Americans who have
been attacked by the Trump administration over the past three years.”
The Human Rights Campaign (HRC), which
had criticized Bloomberg for his remarks, accepted the candidate's
apology.
“He took the time to engage members
of the transgender community and it’s heartening that he has
realized his comments were unacceptable,” HRC President Alphonso
David said in a statement. “Today, Mayor Bloomberg and his campaign
rededicated themselves to pursuing a safer, more inclusive future for
the LGBTQ community, and for transgender people specifically.”