In an appearance with far-right radio host and conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, sitting Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) called for vigilante violence against trans people in public, claiming that it is necessary to stop the “grooming” of children and blaming mothers for turning their kids trans. 

Greene said that if her daughter had a trans summer camp counselor, her husband would “beat” them “into the ground” and they would “be in jail. … This is exactly how we need to stand up against this stuff.” Trans people for years have faced a high level of violence; according to one recent study, “Transgender people are over four times more likely than cisgender people to experience violent victimization, including rape, sexual assault, and aggravated or simple assault." 

Jones followed Greene's comment by raising the dubious specter of a nationwide threat to children, falsely claiming that trans inclusivity means “full-grown men” would be showering with young girls: “Even if you don’t have daughters, can you imagine what it’s like to have full-grown men around the country showering with your daughters because they say they are biologically a woman.” Invoking her previous violent remarks, Greene replied, “We have to draw the line in the sand and say we are not willing to cross it. This is such perversion.”

Greene also accused trans activists of grooming, a behavior where a sexual predator prepares a victim for assault, and accused mothers of turning their children trans “as if they’re some kind of accessory.”

Greene, who was stripped of her committee assignments last year for making false and extremist claims, previously made headlines for using her congressional office to lead a public harassment campaign against the trans child of her colleague, Rep. Marie Newman (D-IL). 

Greene’s extremism is not out of touch with the Republican Party and its leadership. GOP representatives across the country have introduced and passed harmful legislation targeting trans kids, and Republican Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) has defended Greene in the past, accusing Twitter of an “assault” on diversity of opinion for banning her account over dangerous COVID-19 disinformation. McCarthy has pledged to restore Greene’s committee assignments if Republicans retake the House in November.

Jones has a history of violent and dangerous rhetoric that led to Facebook, YouTube, Apple, and Spotify kicking him off their platforms in 2018 (though not always effectively). At the time, Facebook said that Jones was “glorifying violence, which violates our graphic violence policy, and using dehumanizing language to describe people who are transgender, Muslims and immigrants, which violates our hate speech policies.”