Trump nominee says transgender children show ‘Satan’s plan is working’

Donald Trump’s nominee for a Texas federal judgeship is under scrutiny for homophobic and transphobic remarks. Jeff Mateer, the current first assistant attorney general of Texas, made the comments during speeches in 2015.

In a May 2015 speech titled The Church and Homosexuality, Mateer claimed transgender children are proof of Satan’s plan. CNN first discovered the speech and comments.

He was discussing a Colorado lawsuit in which a young transgender girl and her parents sued her school over not letting her use the bathroom of her choice.

‘Now, I submit to you, a parent of three children who are now young adults, a first grader really knows what their sexual identity?’ he asked in the speech. ‘I mean it just really shows you how Satan’s plan is working and the destruction that’s going on.’

Later in the same speech, he fell back on the old argument that marriage equality would open the floodgates.

‘Why couldn’t four 4 people wanna get married? Why not one man and three women? Or three women and one man?’ he claimed incredulously.

It didn’t stop there, however: ‘I mean, it’s disgusting. … There are people who marry themselves. Somebody wanted to marry a tree. People marrying their pets. It’s just like — you know, you read the New Testament and you read about all the things and you think, “Oh, that’s not going on in our community.” Oh yes it is. We’re back to that time where debauchery rules.’

At the time of these comments, Mateer was general counsel of the First Liberty Institute, a religious liberty advocacy group.

Later, in November 2015, Mateer lamented states banning conversion therapy.

‘Biblical counselors and therapists, we’ve seen cases in New Jersey and in California where folks have gotten in trouble because they gave biblical counseling and, you know, the issue is always, it’s same sex,’ he said. ‘And if you’re giving conversion therapy, that’s been outlawed in at least two states and then in some local areas. So they’re invading that area.’

Chad Griffin, president of the Human Rights Campaign, called the comments ‘horrific’ in a tweet:

This is horrific. Someone who attacks children in this way has no place on the federal bench or in public office. https://t.co/z9CBtDtye0

— Chad Griffin (@ChadHGriffin) September 20, 2017

Not the first nominee

Furthermore, this is not the first time Trump has nominated someone with staunch anti-LGBTI views.

His nominee for Army Secretary withdrew after he made harmful comments about the community.

Sam Clovis, the nominee for top scientist who has yet to be confirmed, compared LGBTI protections to pedophilia.

In July, the Senate confirmed another judge with anti-LGBTI views.

Read more from Source: Trump nominee says transgender children show ‘Satan’s plan is working’