Female TX Rep. Says Speaker Apologized To Male Reps. He Insulted, But Not To Her

American flag and Texas flag flying at the  LBJ Library in Austin.
American flag and Texas flag flying at the LBJ Library in Austin. (Photo by: Loop Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
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Texas state Rep. Michelle Beckley (D) tweeted out a statement Wednesday claiming that House Speaker Dennis Bonnen (R) apologized individually to her “male counterparts” that he insulted during a recorded meeting, but not to her.

She says that she initially quickly replied to the mass email he sent on Tuesday, accepting his apology and expressing her desire “to move on.”

However, she soon discovered that Bonnen has personally reached out to the men on the recording captured by activist Michael Sullivan, but that she, allegedly the sole woman he insulted, was passed over.

Neither Bonnen nor Beckley responded to requests for comment.

“In a chamber where 33 women serve, 22% of the entire body, are we not due the same respect our male colleagues are given?” Beckley wrote in a statement. “Our votes on the floor are equal to that of any other male member, our leadership is just as effective and our service is as exemplary.”

“Except in this case, I am disappointed that the speaker has chosen not to address this issue with me personally,” she continued. “I have to ask, Mr. Speaker, where is my apology? But more so, I am disgusted that this issue has taken so much time away from the business of governing the people of my district.”

Read TPM’s breakdown of this situation here. 

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