The watchdog group On AR Watch has placed Republican Representative Mary Bentley to its watchlist after reviewing footage from the Arkansas General Assembly.
"Trans Arkansans were under attack during the 2021 General Session. One [legislator] took it to another level when she called all Trans people abominations from the well," they report.
via LGBTQ Nation
Rep Bentley, while wearing a blazer and pants, unironically quoted the Deuteronomy 22:5, saying, "A woman shall not wear anything that pertains to a man, nor man put on a woman's garments. For all who do so are an abomination." This same chapter of the Bible also condemns the wearing of mixed fabrics and the lack of a parapet on their home's roof. Bentley also quoted Genesis 1:27, which pertains to God's creation of Adam and Eve – "as male and female, He created them," she said.
Bentley's comments accompanied her push for House Bill 1570, which bans gender-affirming care of any kind for trans youth, including hormone therapy, puberty blockers (which are reversible), and surgery (which trans youth don't usually get until the age of 18). The bill has unfortunately been passed into law, even after being vetoed by Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson. Bentley also introduced and pushed for the passage of House Bill 1749 — which would not only allow educators to misgender and deadname their trans students, but protect them from any repercussions if they chose to do so — and co-sponsored House Bill 1882, which "gives a person the right to sue if, while in restrooms at schools, offices, or government-run facilities, they encounter someone that was assigned to different sex at birth than them."
Arkansas currently holds the monstrous title of having passed the most anti-trans bills into law in the United States.
