In Hellam, a small community in south-central Pennsylvania, the administrator of the recreation commission’s Facebook page posted a meme that said: “If you are ordered to wear a mask by a guy who wears a bra, you might be Pennsylvanian,” a riff on comedian Jeff Foxworthy’s “You Might Be a Redneck If …” routine. Paul Abel, a commissioner in Scott Township, outside Pittsburgh, resigned after saying at a public meeting he was “tired of listening to a guy dressed up like a woman.”
"For these actions to come from a legislator elected to fairly represent all his constituents is simply unforgivable."īut whatever Levine faced from Republican lawmakers didn't compare to what she faced from some voters and online trolls, who repeatedly made transphobic slurs in the comment thread of her daily coronavirus briefings and circulated photos and misinformation about her identity before the world knew her as a woman. "To equate any disrespect for those not wearing masks to the decades of disrespect, threats and violence against our LGBTQ community goes far beyond the hallmarks of a decent society," Wolf said in a statement. Wolf said Diamond's antics were "abhorrent, disrespectful, dangerous" and a "thinly veiled attack on the LGBTQ community." He called for Diamond to be censured by GOP House leadership, who did not answer the call. He said those "attacks" hurt "thousands of unmasked Pennsylvanians." He called for tolerance of the "unmasked community."ĭiamond, playing on Levine's words, said he wanted to respond to "the multiple incidents of harassment and specifically hate and intolerance directed at me" because of his refusal to wear a mask. Working through jabs, insultsĪ day after Levine responded to months of transphobic attacks, Diamond mocked her speech that called for more acceptance of the LGBTQ community. Wolf along the way said his health secretary was doing a "phenomenal job" and that Republicans often blamed the messenger. Levine and Wolf had blamed the high number of deaths in nursing homes on the lack of a federal strategy, personal protective equipment that was hard to find and access to testing that was slow to come. Levine pointed out that her mother was in a personal care home, not a nursing home, and that personal care homes fall under the oversight of the Department of Human Services, which she does not lead. She is very intelligent and more than competent to make her own decisions." "My mother requested and my sister and I, as her children, complied to move her to another location during the COVID-19 outbreak," she said. Levine, during a press conference in May, said it was her mother's decision. It was a bad situation that Levine removed her mother from while others perished, he said. "For vulnerable Pennsylvanians residing in those facilities, it's like they were being forced to live within a ticking time bomb." Levine instituted Department of Health policies which halted routine inspections and issued guidance for nursing facilities to admit and readmit patients who tested positive for COVID-19," Diamond said in May. "Instead of heeding that clear warning, Dr. They accused her of "malpractice" and failing Pennsylvania's most vulnerable seniors because the majority of deaths have been residents of long-term care facilities.ĭiamond said the high volume of nursing home deaths in Kirkland, Washington, at the start of the pandemic should have been a warning to Levine. Doug Mastriano, R-Franklin, called for her resignation in May after Levine said she removed her mother from a nursing home as COVID-19 cases were surging. Rachel Levine speaks at the virtual media briefing. Pennsylvania Department of Health Secretary Dr. In 2017, he tapped her to be secretary of health. Tom Wolf in 2015 to be physician general. But she will also bring a wealth of experience to the position.Ī pediatrician and professor at Penn State College of Medicine, Levine was chosen by Gov. Bringing Levine to Washingtonīiden has formed a diverse Cabinet, and Levine adds to that. She needs confirmation from the Senate for her new post. "President-elect Biden and I look forward to working with her to meet the unprecedented challenges facing Americans and rebuild our country in a way that lifts everyone up." Vice President-elect Kamala Harris in a statement described Levine as "a remarkable public servant with the knowledge and experience to help us contain this pandemic, and protect and improve the health and well-being of the American people." 'I solemnly swear': 5 things Biden needs to do as he takes office amid historic turmoil It's unclear who would fill her role in the state, where the coronavirus continues to surge.
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