The Republican chair of a House Foreign Affairs subcommittee abruptly ended a hearing Tuesday after a Texas lawmaker repeatedly misgendered a transgender U.S. congresswoman, sparking a heated response from one of their Democratic colleagues.

Rep. Keith Self (R-Texas), who chairs the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Europe, introduced Rep. Sarah McBride (D-Del.) as “Mr. McBride,” prompting the first openly transgender woman elected to Congress to retort, “Thank you, Madame Chair” before beginning her remarks.

McBride was interrupted by Rep. Bill Keating (D-Mass.), the subcommittee’s ranking member, who said, “Mr. Chairman, could you please repeat your introduction again?”

Self, a 71-year old former Army colonel and county judge, replied that “we have set the standard on the floor of the House.”

When pressed by Keating to explain that standard, Self doubled down on calling McBride “mister.”

Keating shot back: “Mr. Chairman, you are out of order. Have you no decency? I mean, I’ve come to know you a little bit, but this is not decent. You will not continue [this hearing] with me unless you introduce a duly elected representative the right way!”

Self then adjourned the hearing. He later
explained on social media that “it is the policy of the United States to recognize two sexes, male and female,” a reference to an executive order signed by President Donald Trump on the first day back in office.

As journalist Erin Reed noted:

This is not the first time McBride has been treated this way by her colleagues. Just one month ago, Rep. McBride was referred to as the “gentleman from Delaware” on the House Floor by Republican Rep. Mary Miller (R-Ill.). Like Self, Miller also bragged about it afterwards,
stating: “Today on the House floor, I refused to deny biological reality… President Trump restored biological truth in the federal government, and I refuse to perpetuate the lie that gender is open to our interpretation. It is not.”

McBride has been a frequent target of Republican attacks, facing bathroom bans and dehumanizing rhetoric from her colleagues.

Meanwhile, Republican lawmakers and
commentators cheered Self and misgendered McBride. Miller even deadnamed the congresswoman.

McBride responded to Tuesday’s incident on the social media site X,
writing: “No matter how I’m treated by some colleagues, nothing diminishes my awe and gratitude at getting to represent Delaware in Congress. It is truly the honor and privilege of a lifetime. I simply want to serve and to try to make this world a better place.”

The congresswoman has repeatedly stressed that she intends to “pick her battles” and eschew biting at Republicans’ bait, while acknowledging that, as hurtful as it can be, bigoted attacks against her are a GOP ploy to distract attention from policies that harm working-class Americans.

“Now that I’ve got your attention,” McBride
said in a separate X post demonstrating this ethos, “Our economy is tanking because of Trump’s tariffs.”