So a little levity is always welcome. This time, it just happens to come at the expense of state Rep. Jeff Leach, a Republican from Plano.
In a video that had received more than 25,500 views as of late Friday morning, Leach gets trolled. Hard. The clip shows Leach, who serves as chair of the House Committee on Judiciary & Civil Jurisprudence, calling the names of the next speakers during a hearing for a controversial anti-trans bill.
It's a true moment of slapstick zen: a masterclass on how to properly punk your local legislator.
Leach starts out in the 35-second clip: "Is there a Connie Lingus here? What about Anita Dickinme?"
At that, a woman in the audience starts to laugh.
"Or Holden — Holden Midick," Leach says in a deadpan tone.
More chuckles erupt from the good-humored woman.
"OK, are any three of those people here?" Leach continues.
The same woman, who has since been dubbed the Observer's Hero of the Week, is struggling to hold it together at this point.
"All right. You got your, you got your, you got your moment," Leach says, sounding like a tired Texas dad who just plopped down on a whoopee cushion. The whole room is laughing now.
"I hope you enjoy it." Oh, we did.
Some political observers gave Leach props for his composure, and the lawmaker himself acknowledged the clip in a Friday tweet.
"In the rough & tumble of politics & policy making, it’s good to know we can still laugh & smile together. If me being the brunt of a joke is what it takes to remind people of that – then I’m okay with it," Leach wrote, adding: "And I look forward to meeting Connie, Anita and Holden very soon."
Glad to see that Leach doesn't take himself too seriously, but it should also be noted that LGBTQ+ advocates have blasted the bill in question as yet another conservative attack on transgender youth. House Bill 888 relates to the statute of limitations for claims of healthcare malpractice regarding gender-affirming care for young trans Texans.In the rough & tumble of politics & policy making, it’s good to know we can still laugh & smile together. If me being the brunt of a joke is what it takes to remind people of that – then I’m okay with it. #txlege
— Jeff Leach (@leachfortexas) March 31, 2023
And I look forward to meeting Connie, Anita and Holden very soon. https://t.co/1bSWQXVajU
PinkNews, an LGBTQ+ online publication based in the U.K., also poked fun at the Bart Simpson-esque moment but reminded readers of the reality of "relentless anti-trans legislation sweeping US legislatures."
