Brian Sims Slams State Rep. Daryl Metcalfe for “Homophobic” Rant
In a video making the rounds online, Metcalfe announces he's "a heterosexual" who "loves his wife" after a male colleague briefly touches his arm.
L: State Rep. Brian Sims | R: State Rep. Daryl Metcalfe
State Rep. Brian Sims is lambasting State Rep. Daryl Metcalfe for delivering what he called a “homophobic” rant that’s making the rounds online on Tuesday.
That rant happened during a State Government Committee meeting on Tuesday morning:
As seen in the video, Metcalfe, the same state representative (and God-fearing Christian) who once defended white nationalism and tried to make English the official language of Pennsylvania, feels the need to remind the room that he is “heterosexual” after State Rep. and Democratic committee chairman Matthew Bradford briefly touches his arm.
“Representative Bradford, I’m a heterosexual,” Metcalfe says, interrupting Bradford. “I have a wife. I love my wife. I don’t like men, as you might. But stop touching me all the time. It’s like, keep your hands to yourself. Like if you want to touch somebody, you have people on your side of the aisle that might like it. I don’t.”
“We’re officially off the rails,” Bradford, who also has a wife, responds. “My intent was just to beg for your permission for about 30 seconds.”
“Then beg, don’t touch,” Metcalfe says.
The video ends with Bradford suggesting the committee sets up “a sidebar to talk about what I’ll call ‘the extraneous issues’ that have been raised.”
Bradford called Metcalfe’s interruption “very odd” and “problematic” on Tuesday afternoon. “His behavior obviously more than crossed a few lines,” Bradford told Philadelphia magazine by phone. “It tells you something about the status of our politics in America today if [Metcalfe’s words are] somehow acceptable or appropriate.”
Bradford said he reached out to state House Speaker Mike Turzai to “let him know that I found the chairman’s behavior unbecoming.”
On Tuesday afternoon, Sims, an openly gay committee member, took to Facebook to criticize the Republican lawmaker’s comments.
“You can’t make this stuff up!” Sims wrote. “The most homophobic, transphobic, racist, sexist, xenophobic member of our government is using legislative time, and tax payer dollars, to interrupt a meeting to announce his sexual orientation.”
Neither Metcalfe nor Sims were immediately available for comment on Tuesday afternoon.
As to be expected, Twitter user are weighing in on Metcalfe’s rant:
How we all feel when Daryl Metcalfe goes off the rails. Not all heroes wear capes. #PAHouse #papolitics pic.twitter.com/jPxq5wdkig
— Sean Kitchen (@pennslinger) December 5, 2017
https://twitter.com/theDLIVeryman/status/938154294934753280
As a person who hates physical contact from strangers: I'm stealing "Beg. Don't touch." as a personal tagline.
As a bisexual person: BITE ME, DARYL METCALFE. 🏳️🌈#PAPolitics https://t.co/Ylw6rC5Q2W
— Kerrin Garripoli (@kerripoli) December 5, 2017
Imagine being so scared of being perceived as gay that you have to derail a public meeting to declare your heterosexuality after he touches your arm in the course of talking https://t.co/15jaFndmCp
— Robert Maguire (@RobertMaguire_) December 5, 2017
https://twitter.com/MaxMMarin/status/938130309798866951
