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In a sweeping takedown of bathroom bills, Rep. Alan Grayson has reportedly become the first to say the word 'cisgender' in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Rep. Alan Grayson has made etymological LGBT history.
The Florida Democrat reportedly became the first politician to say "cisgender" in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Grayson employed the term, which describes nontransgender people, in a scathing denouncement of the "Republicans, bigots in North Carolina" who support House Bill 2, legislation that, among other things, prohibits transgender people from using the restrooms (in government buildings) that correspond with their gender identity.
HB 2 has sparked a nationwide debate on the issue,as well as a showdown concerning its legality between North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory and the Department of Justice. In response, the Obama administration issued an executive order demanding that all public schools respect their transgender students, which McCrory called a "massive executive branch overreach."
In a wide-ranging, nearly 13-minute speech, Grayson, who is hoping to oust Republican Marco Rubio as a U.S. senator from Florida, cited trans pioneer Christine Jorgensen, #WeJustNeedToPee social media posts, infamous "wide stance" bathroom toe-tapper Larry Craig, and even the gender wage gap as among the reasons to be outraged at these so-called bathroom bills.
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"You're going to force people who look like men, act like men, you're going to force them into a ladies room. My God, what's wrong with you?" Grayson said.
Watch his speech below.
