Michigan Dem Calls on ‘White Christian Suburban Moms’ To Get ‘Uncomfortable’ And Fight Right-Wing Grooming Attacks

Michigan State Sen. Mallory McMorrow (D) called on white Christian women to do more to stop “hateful rhetoric” following Republican colleague Lana Theis accusing McMorrow and other Democrats want to “groom and sexualize” children in a fundraising email.

Theis’ accusations stem from her recently railing against classroom discussions on Critical Race Theory and gender and sexual orientation to young children, both of which have become popular cultural causes for conservatives.

McMorrow previously responded to Theis in a now viral floor speech, and she revealed on Wednesday on MSNBC’s Morning Joe that Theis did not look at her once during the speech, nor did she say anything to her afterwards.

“I’ve never been one to shy away from saying things to people’s face, but she’s too much of a coward to even acknowledge my existence,” McMorrow said.

The state senator said she was prompted to give the speech because more “white women” like herself who “are doing okay” need to stand up and speak out to stop hate:

This was definitely not something that I wanted to do, to go viral, but if the message is that hate won’t win, I think we’re proving that, and we have to say it loudly and clearly and stand up for those who are being attacked because one day it might be us, and I know that everything that I felt the day that Lana Theis accused me of being a groomer and sexualizing children, it’s that much worse for a trans kid who’s getting attacked every day, who just wants to go to school and have friends and get through the day. The response has been overwhelming and my hope is that other white women like me who are doing okay are the ones to stand up and put an end to this because it won’t, unless we do it.

At another point, McMorrow similarly called on “white Christian suburban moms” to get “uncomfortable” and do more.

“Part of the reason that I really wanted to identify myself is because this moment is going to require straight white Christian suburban moms to stand up and get uncomfortable and say, ‘this is not okay,’ because odds are a lot of us are not comfortable and okay,” the Michigan Democrat said.

McMorrow claimed Theis is representative of a larger problem with both the GOP in Michigan, as well as the party as a whole, accusing them of turning to “hateful rhetoric” instead of policy positions, calling many Republicans “full fringe QAnon.”

Co-host Joe Scarborough described Theis’ accusations of “grooming” and “pedophilia” as “disgusting” and claimed when he was a Republican in Congress, this type of rhetoric would not be accepted and would lead to apologies from others in the party. McMorrow revealed no Republican has reached out and continued to blast the party as a whole.

“This is the Michigan Republican Party right now. This is the national Republican Party right now,” she said.

Watch the full clip above via MSNBC