Neil Rafferty Takes On Hate In Alabama

Yesterday I posted about Alabama’s GOP Governor Kay Ivey following the Republican trend of fearmongering and Hate Bills by signing two anti-LGBTQ+ bills into law—one that criminalizes gender-affirming surgeries for trans youth, and the second the state’s own Don’t Say Gay Bill—and Debra, from She Who Seeks had a simple request:

“More Good News please!”

I aim to please, and while this is not Good News, it’s nice, it’s amazing, and it gives me hope. You see, after the Alabama state Legislature passed these new laws, one man, Alabama Representative Neil Rafferty, a Democrat :::gasp::: and a gay man :::thud::: took the Republicans to task for their bigotry:

“I don’t know how this became a platform issue for y’all. I don’t know where it became a central core issue to pick on these kids, to pick on these families. I don’t know where it is or why y’all think that this is something that we need to vote on, not just vote on, but put off the top of the calendar like it’s a priority.

“It’s a priority for us to be getting involved in private family medical decisions that are made with a team of healthcare providers, that are made with the parents centering around the child who are surrounded by a team of healthcare providers, mental health professionals who are guiding them through this process? You want to think you’re just going to a doc-in-a-box or willy-nilly, just getting prescribed this stuff because somebody just said, hey, this is it. That’s not how being transgender works.”

Then he discussed his own identity.

“Trust me, if I didn’t have to be gay, I wouldn’t be. You know how much easier my freaking life would be? This is personal y’all. I’m trying to appeal to you that this is not small government. This is invasive.”

Rafferty was angry because he’s apparently the lone member of the legislature who realizes Alabama has bigger problems that trans kids, or third graders asking what ‘gay’ means.

But his fellow members of Congress don’t care. They run on fear; they pander to the lowest common denominator; they demonize children; they attack parents. And one Neil Rafferty is through with this; at the end of his speech he ended with:

“Just don’t you dare call me a friend after this.”

Hopefully Alabama—and, yes, I know, it’s Alabama but a queer can dream—will find its legislature filling up with more Neil Rafferty’s and less bigots.

Wouldn’t that be good news, Debra?

SIDENOTE: Y’all know how shallow I am, so I must mention what a hot little nugget Rafferty is.