The House of Representatives has a new speaker: Rep. Mike Johnson has taken up the gavel. I've heard a lot of crying about Johnson being an election denier and insurrectionist from the likes of Adam Kinzinger, AOC, and Adam Schiff. Here's where we pull up the 10-minute cut of Democrat leaders denying the result of the 2016 election.
I usually try to feature tweets that get a ton of engagement, but this one is stalled at two retweets and 12 likes. People Magzine will have you know that the first lesbian member of Congress wished her wife a happy anniversary before casting her losing vote against the anti-LGBTQ Johnson. You know Johnson's anti-LGBTQ because People didn't put quotation marks around "anti-LGBTQ" — it's just a simple fact.
Rep. Angie Craig Wishes Wife Happy Anniversary Before Voting Against Anti-LGBTQ House Speaker Mike Johnson https://t.co/n1aYQgtW1E
— People (@people) October 25, 2023
So?
Virginia Chamlee, a politics writer at People, explains:
Democratic Rep. Angie Craig offered anniversary wishes to her wife during Wednesday's House speaker election — a thinly veiled dig at the ultimately victorious Republican nominee, Louisiana Rep. Mike Johnson.
During a vote to elect the next House speaker, Craig joined other Democrats in supporting House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. But before casting her vote, the Minnesotan said, "Happy anniversary to my wife!" to a chorus of applause from some of her fellow lawmakers.
Craig's acknowledgement of her marriage — followed by her vote for Jeffries — carried some subtext, as Johnson's congressional tenure has been characterized by a strong opposition to LGBTQ+ rights.
Note the use of passive voice … "has been characterized."
I'm not sure why People picked this up; well, I know why, but it doesn't seem to be resonating with readers.
So until now, I'd never known of Rep. Angie Craig or her sexuality, and now that I know both I am still thrilled with Johnson as speaker. "Anti-LGBTG" means as much as "white supremacist" or "far-right" … it's meanless filler for lazy journalists.
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