'Demons and Imps:' Deltona Florida House member's transgender comments spark Twitter firestorm

As the Florida House considers a bill that seeks to prevent transgender men and women from using bathrooms that don’t align with their sex assigned at birth, a Twitter firestorm has been ignited by comments from Rep. Webster Barnaby that compared transgender people to “demons and imps.”

Barnaby’s comments came after transgender people testified against the bill before the House Commerce Committee. He called them “demons and imps who come and parade before us and pretend that you are part of this world. So, I’m saying my righteous indignation is stirred. I am sick and tired of this. I’m not going to put up with it. You can test me and try to take me on. But I promise you I’ll win every time.”

'Mutants from another planet': Florida legislator compares transgender people to 'demons and imps' as bathroom bill passes

Who is Florida Rep. Webster Barnaby? Here's what we know

Here’s a look at some of that reaction on Twitter:

Former lawmaker: 'Now it's exposed'

Former state Representative Carlos Guillermo Smith, a Democrat and the first openly LGBT Latino elected to the Florida Legislature, tweeted that the comments exposed the mindset behind a series of proposals focused on transgender people that Republicans are moving through the Legislature:

“When Republican Webster Barnaby called trans people ‘demons’, ‘imps’, and ‘mutants’ it wasn’t a mistake or gaffe,” he tweeted. “It was the hatred and bigotry that’s really motivating Florida’s 20+ anti-LGBTQ proposals FINALLY being spoken into words. Now it’s exposed.”

Chitwood: Comments put 'another target' on transgender people

Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood also denounced Barnaby’s comments in multiple Twitter posts, suggesting that the comments would embolden hate groups that have recently surfaced in Volusia County and elsewhere statewide.

“While we have Neo Nazis and other hate groups invading our area and targeting people for their faith, their ethnicity and their sexuality, our own state representative @websterbarnaby wants to put another target on their backs,” Chitwood tweeted. “Calling transgender people ‘demons, imps and mutants’ is only going to subject them to more hate.”

'Get religion OUT of politics‘

Also on Twitter, independent journalist Brian Krassenstein also criticized Barnaby for inserting his religious beliefs into political debate:

“Florida GOP Rep. Webster Barnaby literally compared transgender people to mutants from X-men before calling transgender children in attendance 'Demons and Imps,’ Krassenstein tweeted. “We must get religion OUT of politics as it only helps spread hate and it harms society in general when people use it in this ignorant way.”

Equality Florida: 'Two questions we should be asking'

Equality Florida, a non-profit organization dedicated to securing full equality for the state's lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer community, also offered a reaction to Barnaby’s comments:

“Two questions we should be asking tonight…

1. Why is GOP Rep @websterbarnaby proudly retweeting criticism of his remarks calling trans people ‘mutants, demons and imps’?

2. Why hasn't GOP House Speaker @Paul_Renner condemned this bigoted vitriol from his own caucus?”

Eskamani: 'Truly unacceptable'

State Representative Anna V. Eskamani, a Democrat, also denounced Barnaby’s comments about transgender people who had testified against the bill before a House committee.

“Truly unacceptable for any member of the legislature to refer to the public that testifies as "demons and imps" which is what just happened during the Commerce Committee during the debate on the bill to ban trans people from using the bathroom that reflects their gender identity,” Eskamani tweeted.

McCool: 'Seek spiritual counsel'

Deltona City Commissioner Dana McCool urged Barnaby to look again at the tenets of his faith in a tweet posted to the Twitter account for her political podcast “The Smoking Truth.”

“@websterbarnaby I would like to encourage him to seek spiritual counsel to go back to the basics of the commandments, and ask him how he forgot about loving thy neighbor,” McCool tweeted. “Or is that just reserved for all the women he flirts with.”

Barnaby has closed his social media accounts

Barnaby, on the other hand, seemed to bask in the attention stirred by his comments, at least for a time. On Monday, he posted the X-Men logo as his cover image on Twitter.

By late Monday, however, those seeking him out on Twitter were greeted by a message that "this account doesn't exist."

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Webster Barnaby, Florida lawmaker's transgender remarks spark reaction