Oklahoma Republican state Senate candidate Jarrin Jackson—known for his far-right and Evangelical Christian White nationalist views—is going viral for a video that managed to combine religious bigotry and anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric.
In the Islamaphobic and transphobic video, Jackson equated gender confirmation to nonconsensual genital mutilation, saying transgender women who have bottom surgery are “Islamicizing” their bodies.
Watch the video below:
He said:
“Genesis 1 [says] God made man in his image, male and female, he created them."
"God’s categories are good categories. God’s plan is a good plan. It’s a good order."
"Most of what we see today is a rejection of God’s order."
"Most of what we see today are people seeing what God has made and choosing to reject it and deny it and destroy it and to molest it.”
There was nothing redeeming about the clip, as the extremist GOP candidate was in the middle of ripping into a Reddit post where the user was seeking advice on how to best support their transgender daughter.
Jackson said of the parent:
“That father, I believe, is criminally responsible for manipulating and grooming his daughter.”
“It’s his son, by the way. It’s not a daughter."
"That father was criminally negligent to his son because that father has not built his worldview on truth. The son is suicidal."
"The son is messed up physically, chemically, emotionally, relationally, truthfully.”
Then he continued on in a bizarre rant about sex reassignment surgeries while confusing himself several times.
Jackson tried to attack the gender confirmation surgery for the transgender woman he was ranting about by citing the nonconsensual genital mutilation of cisgender girls and women practiced in some countries in Africa, Asia and the Middle East. In 2016, UNICEF cited the practice in 30 countries—27 in Africa—but didn't attribute the increasingly illegal act to any one religion.
Jackson said:
“It’s not ‘bottom surgery,’ it’s mutilation.”
“You’ve Islamicized your genitals. You’ve Islamicized yourself."
"Muslims do genital mutilation for women that have sex or commit adultery. That’s what Muslims do. You are Islamicizing your genitals.”
One person tweeted:
"Why should he care about what other peeps want to do with their body?"
"It’s not his body! Or is it?"
"This is ridiculous!"
Why should he care about what other peeps want to do with their body? It\u2019s not his body! Or is it? This is ridiculous!— Julie (@Julie) 1650482015
Somone else wrote:
"The combination of deep ignorance and extreme arrogance is appalling to observe."
The combination of deep ignorance and extreme arrogance is appalling to observe.— Johnathon Wright (@Johnathon Wright) 1650484024
Another person shared:
"This man is very interested in genitals."
This man is very interested in genitals.— JJ (@JJ) 1650473184
... What's up with these right-wing lunatics always taking about other people's balls ...— J. T. (@J. T.) 1650481152
Some of these people don't know what words mean...\nGOP Senate candidate insists transgender people are \u201cIslamicizing\u201d their bodieshttps://flip.it/Icjn5m— Doug Wise (@Doug Wise) 1650560683
For the right-wing, it's all about the genitals. \n\nTheir arguments are filled with dog-whistle terms that don't mean anything: "Islamicizing their genitals?"https://twitter.com/RightWingWatch/status/1516819956633120770\u00a0\u2026— MonteCello (@MonteCello) 1650473217
GOP candidate insists transgender people are \u201cIslamicizing\u201d their bodies | His first ad declared that "we are at war with communism" and voters should "unleash" him. It's only gone downhill from there.https://www.reddit.com/r/politics/comments/u8qsdu/gop_candidate_insists_transgender_people_are/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf\u00a0\u2026— BM (@BM) 1650557909
Jackson posts daily livestreams, preaching about the Bible and expressing his hate toward the LGBTQ+ community.
One person noted:
"Jarrin Jackson's violent rhetoric is dangerous, especially when considering the fact that Dr. King was labeled a communist before his assassination in April of 1968."
Jarrin Jackson's violent rhetoric is dangerous, especially when considering the fact that Dr. King was labeled a communist before his assassination in April of 1968.https://theblackwallsttimes.com/2022/04/20/jarrin-jackson-wants-to-shoot-godless-commies-runs-for-state-senate/\u00a0\u2026— Deon Devon Osborne (@Deon Devon Osborne) 1650474502
However some found political candidates and religious leaders sharing their bigotry so publicly had merit.
"We actually need these immoral hateful people to speak up."
"It ruins them more than they possibly grasp."
We actually need these immoral hateful people to speak up. It ruins them more than they possibly grasp— John Bolger (@John Bolger) 1650518574
Someone tweeted about Jackson's multilayered ignorance and hatred, both against the LGBTQ+ community and Muslims.
They tweeted:
"This [Jarrin Jackson] obviously knows nothing about Islam other than his blind hatred of it."
"Read the Quran, dude, and lose that idiot crusader mentality."
This @JarrinJackson obviously knows nothing about Islam other than his blind hatred of it. \nRead the Quran, dude, and lose that idiot crusader mentality.— Art one way or another. (@Art one way or another.) 1650480521
The pastor's campaign is posed as a war waged against communism, as he regularly condemns "Godless commies" threatening violence against people who aren't aligned with his political agendas.
Whether the Oklahoma GOP endorses or rejects his rhetoric will be decided at the polls.