A Pennsylvania Democrat thinks it’s “disgusting” that an “old white lady” has the audacity to speak to women heading into the Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania, so he decided to heckle the woman on video and post his grievances to the internet.
Brian Sims, a gay bearded LGBTQ activist representing Pennsylvania’s 182nd district, targeted a woman outside of a Planned Parenthood in his district last week to belittle the woman for advocating her values and call for similar attacks against “racist, classist, bigots” who oppose abortion.
Push back against Planned Parenthood protestors, PLEASE! They prey on young women, they use white privilege, & shame. They’re racist, classist, bigots who NEED & DESERVE our righteous opposition. Push back, please! #YouAreStrongEnough https://t.co/rYQOiAhC0D
— Brian Sims (@BrianSimsPA) May 2, 2019
“Push back against Planned Parenthood protestors, PLEASE! They prey on young women, they use white privilege, & shame,” Sims posted to Periscope Thursday. “They’re racist, classist, bigots who NEED & DESERVE our righteous opposition. Push back, please! #YouAreStrongEnough”
In the video, Sims, the state’s first gay legislator, explained that the Philadelphia Planned Parenthood is “the most heavily protested Planned Parenthood, I believe, in the country,” before training his camera on a single “old white lady” milling about out front.
“Today’s protestor, now she’s an old white lady who’s trying to avoid showing her face, but the same laws luckily that protect her from being out here also protect me from showing you who she is,” Sims lectured.
“So my hope is you’ll donate $100 for every extra hour this woman is out here telling people what’s right for their bodies.”
Sims repeatedly attempted to get in the woman’s face with bogus questions, but she simply ignored him and paced the sidewalk, hands clasped around her purse.
“How many children have you clothed today?” Sims mocked. “I’m sorry, I missed your answer. How many children have you clothed today? How about how many children have you put shoes on their feet today? Have you fed any children today? Or have you just stood out in front of a Planned Parenthood shaming people for something they have a constitutional right to do?”
Shame was a big theme with Sims, and he repeatedly shouted the word at the woman as he heckled her along the street.
“If you’re here about the children, you can pray at home for children,” Sims said. “It’s probably the same place you feed a child, but you’re not. Instead, you’re out here shaming people for something they have a constitutional right to do.
“Who would of thought that an old white lady would be out in front of a Planned Parenthood telling people what is right for their bodies,” he continued, following the woman around with the camera. “Shame on you. Shame on you for hiding your face at the same time that you’re shaming other people.”
In total, Sims shouted “shame” at the woman at least 33 times over about eight minutes as he also accused her of racism and bemoaned the quiet “attacks” that “Planned Parenthood have to put up with.”
Throughout the ordeal, the woman simply clutched her purse and rosary, only speaking to Sims once as his camera nearly bonked her in the face.
“Get out of my face,” she said. “Get your camera out of my face.”
“There’s nothing Christian about what you’re doing. There’s nothing loving, nothing kind,” Sims heckled. “This is a racist act of judgement and you have no business out here shaming people for something they have a right to do.”
“If you’re a white person like I am, we have a lot of catching up to do. We have a lot to apologize for and I’m going to start by apologizing for this woman,” Sims said. “Don’t convince yourself that what you’re doing isn’t extremely racist. How dare you. This is grotesque.”
He also preached to his followers, imploring them to push back on the “attacks” from the old white lady and others like her.
“Please say something to these protestors. They bank on us being quiet. They bank on us caring more about decorum than we do righteous indignation,” Sims said.
“This is what they deserve and this is what they need,” he said.
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