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Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Harshbarger criticized for comments about Black congressman, trans people
WASHINGTON (WJHL) — Northeast Tennessee Congresswoman Diana Harshbarger is facing criticism after referring to a Black representative as 'boy,' questioning his use of a cane, and referring to transgender people as 'fairies.' The Republican congresswoman's comments came during an interview with local Christian group FAME Ministries. $5M secured for Jonesborough, Johnson City bike path link A variety of subjects were discussed during the over half-hour-long interview. Near the end, the interviewer referenced Democrats holding up signs during President Trump's joint address to Congress, during which Democratic Congressman Al Green was escorted out after he interrupted and heckled Trump. Harshbarger said she wanted to 'go over there and grab a few' of the signs, 'but Al Green was over here with his cane.' 'And I'm like gosh dangit boy, put that – he does not need that cane,' Harshbarger said. 'That cane is a prop. I swear it's not real. And I'm wondering, one my colleagues said take the, screw the gold part off of it and see if there's a gun in there, and I'm like, I don't know about that, man. He's just weird Al.' Tuesday evening, Green held a press conference to address Harshbarger's comments, calling her use of the word 'boy' a slur. The 77-year-old Texas congressman said that when he was a child, he often heard people call his father 'boy.' 'It wasn't said to indicate that you are youthful,' Green said. 'It was said to demean, to degrade, to denigrate.' 'Friends, it's not about Al Green,' he said. 'It's about whether Black people in this society are going to allow slurs such as this to be normalized. We cannot allow the normalization of these kinds of slurs.' About his use of a cane, Green said it provides him with more stability when walking, and even though there isn't a weapon concealed inside, it could be used to defend himself if necessary. Green also called out Harshbarger for something else she said during the interview. When the interviewer mentioned the Biden administration and transgender people, the congresswoman said: 'Listen, I never saw so many fairies in the White House, dancing around. I'm like, I don't know where they got them. But look, my job is to love them into the love of Christ, and I've got to watch what I say.' Harshbarger had touched on the topic of gender identity and expression a few minutes earlier in the interview. 'But if you look at what some of these other countries are going back, they're pushing off on these stupid things like transgender — you can pretend to be a man if you're a woman or a woman if you're a man — and all this junk,' Harshbarger said. 'They're getting back to what made them great. And we do want to make America great again. And it starts with God and with the family.' WATCH: The Yottas, Carter Co. citizens discuss Hidden Harmony at planning committee News Channel 11 reached out to a spokesperson for Harshbarger on Wednesday but did not receive a response. The congresswoman took to social media to respond to criticism of her comments. In a post on X, Harshbarger wrote: The weather is warming up, so naturally, the snowflakes are starting to melt! I was discussing one of my colleague's erratic behavior during President Trump's Joint Address, and now he—along with the rest of the Radical Left—is blowing it out of proportion in a desperate attempt to get attention. BOY oh boy, you just can't catch a break between the FAKE NEWS and young men wielding canes! Tweet by U.S. Rep. Diana Harshbarger Green said during his press conference that he was not looking for an apology from Harshbarger. 'I never ask people to apologize. I ask people to tell the truth,' Green said. 'If you just tell the truth, no apology is necessary.' Harshbarger, a Kingsport native, has represented Tennessee's First Congressional District since 2021. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Rep. Harshbarger calls Black congressman ‘boy' in interview
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — During an interview with the podcast FAME Ministries, Representative Diana Harshbarger (R-Tennessee) called Representative Al Green (D-Texas) 'boy.' FAME Ministries posted the podcast to their Facebook page on Friday. During the podcast, she also referred to transgender people as 'fairies' then said she wanted to 'love them into the love of Christ.' Knoxville woman faces eviction due to daughter's behavior at apartment complex Around 35 minutes into the podcast, the interviewer asked about Congresspeople holding signs during the State of the Union. Harshbarger responded, 'I wanted to go over there and grab a few of them, but Al Green was over here with his cane, and I'm like, 'Gosh dang it, boy, put that…' He does not need that cane. That cane is a prop. I swear it's not real.' During the event in question, Green was removed from the House after heckling Trump and shaking his cane at him. Green held a press conference on Tuesday responding to Harshbarger's comment where he called the words slurs. He said that his parents were often referred to as 'boy' and 'girl' when he was growing up. 'Friends, it's not about Al Green,' he said. 'It's about whether Black people in this society are going to allow slurs such as this to be normalized. We cannot allow the normalization of these kinds of slurs.' Green also quoted the 23 Psalm from the Bible saying that his cane was a 'comforter' to him that would allow him to defend himself in a situation where the police were there to defend him. He also said it helped him with climbing stairs. On Tuesday, Harshbarger posted the clip in question to Facebook and wrote the following: 'The weather is warming up, so naturally, the snowflakes are starting to melt! I was discussing one of my colleague's erratic behavior during President Trump's Joint Address, and now he—along with the rest of the Radical Left—is blowing it out of proportion in a desperate attempt to get attention. BOY oh boy, you just can't catch a break between the FAKE NEWS and young men wielding canes!' Representative Diana Harshbarger Around 36 minutes into the video, the interviewer mentioned the Biden's administration's involvement with transgender people. Harshbarger responded, 'I've never saw so many fairies in the White House dancing around. I'm like, 'I don't know where they got them.' But look, my job is to love them into the love of Christ, and I've got to watch what I say.' Claiborne County Sheriff's Office lieutenant resigns after investigation into falsified records In the podcast, Harshbarger also discussed her Christian faith, the importance of families, federal spending and debt and flood relief in Northeast Tennessee and Western North Carolina. She represents Tennessee's first Congressional district in Northeast Tennessee. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
