In declaring his opposition to gay
rights, Texas State Representative Leo Berman stumbled on the
definition of transgender.
The social conservative made his
remarks on the weekly Sunday morning show Session '11, which
airs on the Austin-based NBC affiliate KXAN.
When host Robert Hadlock asked about a
gay adoption bill supported by Democratic Representative Rafael
Anchia, who was also on the panel, Berman said he doesn't support gay
rights.
“Many times the children who are
adopted by these single-gender families want the birth certificate to
adequately describe their parents,” Anchia explained. “And if it
doesn't, many times it creates problems, with respect to one parent
being able to visit a child in the hospital if they're very sick. It
creates problems in terms of inheritance. And we had a very
compelling hearing last session – I was pleased that the chairwoman
of Public Health gave it a hearing – where these children talked
about the difficulties it creates in their lives. And I'm being
responsive to many of the same-gender families who are providing
loving homes for these adoptive children because this is very
important.”
When asked his position on the issue,
Berman, a Republican, suggested the real issue was being camouflaged.
“I'm not going to dispute Rafael,”
Berman answered. “I know he's a very compassionate man. But it's
just like camouflaging the issue. This bullying issue in school,
it's a GLBT issue. It's a gay, lesbian, bisexual transvestite
issue.”
“Transgender,” Anchia suggested.
“I'm sorry. Transgender and
transvestite. You know, you cross-dress and you're a transvestite, I
guess. But anyway, I don't support that at all.”
“I am conservative and I don't
support the agenda that the gay, lesbian, transvestite? I'm sorry,
what was that word?”
“It's the gay, lesbian, bisexual,
transgender community,” Anchia responded.
“I don't support their agenda at
all,” Berman added.
“I will tell you that many of my
constituents who are doctors and lawyers and police officers and
firefighters and veterans of the military, who are in committed,
loving relationships, want to provide loving homes for children and
do. And I think we need to take that seriously, not belittle it. And
when you hear the testimony of these children about how important
this legislation is to them, it really changes hearts and minds,”
Anchia added. (The video is embedded in the right panel of this
page.)