The Pennsylvania Health Secretary Rachel Levine has denounced a reporter for misgendering during an interview.
Levine, who identifies as a woman, described the reporter, Marty Griffin, as “really insulting” for repeatedly referring to Levine as “sir”, according to coverage by The Patriot-News.
“Please don’t misgender me!” she told Griffin.
After backlash from trans activists, Griffin issued an apology on Twitter.
“I apologize. I apologized twice. I truly did. It was not intentional. It was not,” he said. “I was not focused. I was doing six things at once.”
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Griffin, a radio personality at the Pittsburgh-based KDKA-AM radio station, subsequently caused a boycott of the station by Pennsylvania’s Democrat local officials.
Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto cancelled an interview with the station in solidarity with Levine
“Cancelled interview w/ Lynne Hayes-Freeland for tomorrow. Not upset w/her, she’s always been a fair, strong journalist. But will not support [KDKA Radio’s] behavior,” he said. “Growing up, KDKA had good people who made us proud to be from Pittsburgh. Now, it shock-jocks, sensationalism & worse.”
He went on to reject an suggestion on Twitter that he was also referring to another KDKA host, Wendy Bell, a vocal opponent of the state lockdown, in talking about “sensationalism”.
“No. There has been a constant pattern of diminishing the dignity of people, lowering the standards of debate & knowingly reporting without sources or confirmation,” he added. “Today’s continued indignity put the station, over the top – in my opinion.”
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Griffin previously found himself in another trans rights brouhaha in 2014, when he described antifa activist and national traitor Bradley Manning as “Mr. Bradley” instead of Manning’s new female name, “Chelsea Manning”. Griffin went on to state there was a “bizarre sex-change thing going on” with Manning, further provoking the social justice warrior left.
