Leftist Lawmaker to Take a Month Off Work After Being 'Misgendered'
Ah, Massachusetts. The only state to vote for George McGovern, arguably the most extreme Democratic nominee ever, in the 1972 presidential election. The state that has given us way more Kennedys than we actually need. And the state where the first woman to openly identify herself as a “nonbinary lawmaker” is taking a month off from the position to which she was elected because she got “misgendered.”
According to WBTS-TV, Worcester City Councilor Thu Nguyen claimed she needs the “hiatus” because the so-called misgendering has affected her mental health.
“We deserve a government that is welcoming, embraces and takes pride in our LGBTQ+ community. As the first nonbinary elected in Massachusetts, I have always said for me it’s not just about identity politics. Making history as the first is one thing, what you do with it is another,” Nguyen said in a statement.
“I hope by speaking up against transphobia and hate, many of you will join me in pushing for a political reimagination of a government that holistically cares and serves everyone which rightfully includes the LGBTQ+ community.”
Nguyen said “that feels like the bare minimum” in terms of a standard, singling out Mayor Joseph Petty and Councilor-at-Large Kathleen Toomey for publicly misgendering her.
She also claimed that Councilor Candy Mero-Carlson has referred to her as “it.”
And she managed to bring President-elect Donald Trump into it, because of course she did.
“It is unfortunate, as we transition under a Trump administration and exponential increase of fear experienced by the LGBTQ+ community that I, as a City Councilor At-Large of Worcester, had to file a complaint to our Executive Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion about my experience in the past 3 years of dealing with transphobia and a discriminatory and toxic council culture, being misgendered by Mayor Petty and Councilor At-Large Toomey publicly on the council floor and recently learning that District 2 Councilor Mero-Carlson has been referring to me as ‘it’ multiple times,” she alleged in the statement.
“I have formally requested for the City of Worcester’s Chief Equity Officer to open an immediate investigation and create an action plan to address this matter,” she added.
“These hateful acts are unbecoming of a legislative body whose duty is to serve our communities and to honor and enforce anti-discrimination laws. My filing of a complaint’s aim is to hold electeds accountable to moral and legal standards during a vulnerable time of crisis for the LGBTQ+ community. LGBTQ+ folks are facing more physical threats, violence and hate all over the nation,” she continued.
“The Trevor Project reported an overall volume increase of nearly 700% on Nov 6 after Trump’s election compared to the weeks prior. Many in our community are seeking to move to safer states, expressing worries for the possibility of gender affirming care and same-sex marriage being revoked and frightened to lose fundamental civil rights because of who we are,” she added. “This is all in addition to the tragic reality of having anti-trans bills pushed throughout the nation in recent years and the mass shootings and murders targeting the LGBTQ+ community.”
Ngyuen asked that “if you care about me and the LGBTQ+ community,” readers should “advocate for real systemic and structural change in leadership and send a clear message that hate has no place here in Worcester especially in the elected body.”
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Both Petty and Toomey apologized for their misgendering faux pas, saying they were brief and never happened again.
In a statement on social media, Petty said that he “momentarily addressed the Councilor by an incorrect pronoun. Once brought to my attention, I quickly corrected the mistake and apologized.”
Toomey meanwhile said that “early on when the Councilor was elected, I did make an honest error in addressing the councilor and may have done so a few times, for which I apologized. There has never been any intentional or consistent misgendering.”
Mero-Carlson denied the allegations of calling Nguyen “it,” or at least recalling that it happened.
WORCESTER – Mayor Joseph M. Petty issued a statement today regarding a social media post from
Councilor Nguyen.I want to take a moment to address concerns raised by Councilor Nguyen, the first nonbinary
City Councilor in our community’s history. During my 13 years as Mayor, I… pic.twitter.com/lk1up1ukLu— Joe Petty (@MayorJoePetty) January 16, 2025
Councilor Toomey responds to Councilor Nguyen
“early on when the Councilor was elected, I did make an honest error in addressing the councilor and may have done so a few times, for which I apologized. There has never been any intentional or consistent misgendering.” pic.twitter.com/kQhV7rpXIU
— Talk of the Commonwealth (@CommonTalkPod) January 15, 2025
CC Mero-Carlson responds to CC Nguyen
“While I do not recall making the statements in question, I acknowledge that it was a challenging and emotional week where difficult conversations took place. These claims, however, misrepresent my character, my record, and the values I have… pic.twitter.com/BqmQOBkKAm
— Talk of the Commonwealth (@CommonTalkPod) January 15, 2025
In addition, Mero-Carlson said that the disagreements stemmed from personal and political differences.
“My focus has always been on showing up for our community, listening to constituents, and delivering results. Unfortunately, Councilor Nguyen’s approach seems more centered on sowing chaos and division, rather than collaboration or addressing the real needs of our city,” Mero-Carlson said.
“I am not surprised by their actions given their consistent support for my opponent in the last election and their apparent determination to prioritize political agendas each week over the pressing work we are elected to do. Worcester residents deserve leadership that rises above small-minded politics and remains focused on progress and unity.”
Which is to say: whatever.
Two accidental misgenderings and one frosty relationship with another member of the body shouldn’t be a reason to take a “hiatus” from the job people elected you to do, but welcome to 2025, where — despite the fact wokeness is in retreat — someone still manages to make news by abandoning an elected post because of not being called by the appropriate nonbinary pronouns.
Of course, this might not make much difference, given that the councilor “has missed half of the Traffic and Parking subcommittee meetings and has not held a meeting for the Public Service and Transportation subcommittee that they chair,” according to the statement by Mayor Petty, who says the tiff is over the fact that he called a mandate for in-person attendance for city council meetings. (Nguyen says she attends on Zoom, according to WBTS, “because they feel unsafe at city hall.” Right.)
However, welcome to Massachusetts, where this is still a story. It turns out the halcyon days of the McGovern campaign and the Kennedy family are still alive and well in the Bay State, sadly.
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