Hateful Republican senator uses David Bowie to attack trans kids in skin-crawling resurfaced video
Scott Wilk, a senator in California, stressed his opposition to a bill that protects trans teens with a video that mocks their entire existence while also singing badly to David Bowie. (Screen capture via Twitter)
Californian senator Scott Wilk showed that he should stay well away from karaoke machines after using David Bowie lyrics to attack trans youth.
Wilk represents the 21st district and has a long track record of voting against LGBT+ rights legislation.
In 2013, he filmed a video to voice his opposition to a bill which extended discrimination protections to trans and gender non-conforming K-12 students by botching David Bowie lyrics.
With elections looming the video, unfortunately, resurfaced on social media and drew immediate backlash from the queer community for both his vile views and for his equally vile singing abilities.
Brace yourself for some cringe, courtesy of CA State Sen. @ScottWilkCA.
Not only is this old video horrible to trans students, but he obviously doesn't know much about Bowie.
Hoping we elected @kippforsenate on Nov. 3 instead. pic.twitter.com/WmrGP2Iasy
— Anthony Breznican (@Breznican) October 21, 2020
Weird transphobic senator mocks trans youth while botching David Bowie songs.
“David Bowie in the 1970s had a great classic rock song ‘Rebel Rebel’ that included the lyrics: ‘You’ve got your mother in a whirl, she’s not sure if you’re a boy or a girl,'” Wilk says in the clip.
“Well, the State Assembly doesn’t think it matters. Recently, we passed AB 1266, which will require that students be allowed to participate in school activities and facilities based on their gender ‘identity’,” he continues, adding air quotes around the word “identity”.
“Say what? That’s right. If AB 1266 becomes law, schools will be forced to allow a male student to use a girls’ restroom or locker-room if he identifies as a girl,” Wilk says.
“Life’s complicated enough for today’s youth, but these proposed ‘ch-ch-ch-ch-changes’ by the State Assembly I don’t support.”
Yikes.
Wilk’s weird line of attack was criticised by Democrat Kipp Mueller, who is seeking to unseat Wilk in the upcoming 2020 elections.
“It is profoundly disappointing to see Scott Wilk shamelessly attack one of our most vulnerable communities – transgender and gender non-conforming youth – for his own political fodder,” Mueller said in a statement to Metro Weekly.
“Scott Wilk owes it to the LGBT+ community and to all of those he represents to immediately apologise with sincerity and express his regret.”
Local and national LGBT+ groups also slammed Wilk, with the Stonewall Democratic Club dubbing it a “hateful video that mocks LGBT+ students” and endorsed Mueller.
OFFICIAL: Stonewall is joining with @EqCA to condemn CA State Sen. @ScottWilkCA, his hateful now-viral video that mocks LGBTQ+ students, and his anti-equality policy positions.
We proudly stand with our endorsed candidate @KippMueller in District 21. https://t.co/5ghoRM5b5x— Stonewall Democratic Club (@StonewallDemsLA) October 21, 2020
Was Wilk’s anti-trans stance surprising? Not one bit, Equality California executive director Rick Chavez Zbur said in a statement.
“This video is an especially shameful attack on LGBT+ children, who already face a disproportionate amount of discrimination and harassment at school,” he said.
“While Wilk opposes protections for LGBT+ students, Kipp Mueller – the son of a community college counsellor for students with disabilities – will invest in our public schools and ensure that every student has a safe and supportive learning environment.
“The choice for voters in senate district 21 is clear: we need Kipp Mueller fighting for us in Sacramento.”
