Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Pennsylvania Fair Under Fire For Mocking State's Health Secretary With Transphobic Dunk Tank Event

Pennsylvania Fair Under Fire For Mocking State's Health Secretary With Transphobic Dunk Tank Event
Bonnie Jo Mount/The Washington Post via Getty Images

Pennsylvania's Bloomsburg Fair—which avoided cancellation unlike many other state fairs in the wake of the pandemic—received backlash after it was revealed an event during the Fireman's Relief Carnival featured a man impersonating Dr. Rachel Levine in an extremely transphobic dunk tank event.

Dr. Levine—who is the Pennsylvania Secretary of Health and one of the few openly transgender officials in government—became renowned throughout Pennsylvania for her role in addressing the state's response to the pandemic.


The fair's official page posted—but later removed—offensive images of a man impersonating Dr. Levine.

Alex Kijek/Facebook

Now people are calling for the Bloomsburg Fair to answer for their transphobia.



Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf called the fair's faux pas "vile" and said that "hate has no place in Pennsylvania, even in the smallest transphobic joke, action or social media post."

"Dr. Levine is a distinguished and accomplished public servant. She is committed to keeping Pennsylvanians safe and healthy, even those who direct hate-fueled attacks at her. I'm proud of the work she has done in her five years serving Pennsylvanians, and her success at leading our commonwealth during the COVID-19 crisis is a testament to her intelligence and work ethic."








Dr. Levine herself also reacted to the transphobic post.

"My only reaction is that I am going to stay, no matter what happens, laser-focused on protecting the public health in Pennsylvania."
"I am going to do absolutely everything I can to achieve that whether people agree with me or if they don't agree with me. Their health is still important to me."




The Bloomsburg Fair deleted the post and released a statement claiming they didn't intend to mock anyone's gender identity.

Rafael Álvarez Febo, executive director of the Pennsylvania Commission on LGBTQ Affairs, responded:

"The leadership of the Bloomsburg Fair knew they were catering to Transphobic sentiments when they chose to impersonate Dr. Levine."
"Marginalized communities know when we are being targeted and will not be gas-lit into thinking this was just about Dr. Levine's position as Secretary of Health."
"In times of crisis and pain LGBTQ individuals are united in pushing back against Transphobia of any kind."
"Commissioners believe that the health and safety of Pennsylvanians should not be undermined due to these toxic and personal attacks."

The post points to a larger underlying problem. People think a low-level of transphobia is acceptable.

Whether or not they fully apolgize, Dr. Levine is guaranteeing their health and safety during a global pandemic anyway.

When they go low, she'll go high.

More from Trending

Screenshot of Stephen Colbert
CBS

Stephen Colbert Makes Somber Plea To Americans In Wake Of Charlie Kirk's Death

Late-night host Stephen Colbert had a somber message for Americans as he addressed the assassination of far-right activist Charlie Kirk, stressing that "political violence only leads to more political violence."

Kirk died after an unidentified gunman shot him in the neck as he—ironically enough—mocked victims of gun violence at an event in Utah Valley State University. Kirk's murder has galvanized the far-right, with President Donald Trump and his surrogates claiming without evidence that rhetoric from Democrats is responsible for Kirk's death.

Keep ReadingShow less
a woman sunbathing on rocks.
a person sitting on a towel on a beach
Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

People Share The Weirdest Flexes They Heard Someone Say With A Straight Face

It is never attractive to gloat.

Even so, some people can't help but brag, or "flex" as it is sometimes known, about certain accomplishments or attributes.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots from @thedowntheredoc's TikTok video
@thedowntheredoc/TikTok

TikToker Hilariously Calls Out Target After Champion Pants Feature Awkwardly-Placed Front Pleat

Sometimes you can just tell when something was designed *for* women, but was not actually designed *by* women.

Take, for instance, the new pleated pants available at Target from the Champion clothing line. While there's nothing wrong with pleated pants and they certainly have a suitable spot in the workplace, the latest rendition of Champion pleated pants are, shall we say, NSFW.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots from @kaicutch's Instagram video
@kaicutch/Instagram

Woman Flips Her Car After Belting Out Ironic Britney Spears Lyric In Wild Viral Video

Whether we want to admit it or not, we've all had our fair share of carpool karaoke and maybe even imagined our car as our own personal recording studio.

But TikToker and Instagrammer Kaitlynn McCutcheon may have gotten too into her performance of Britney Spears' classic, "Hit Me Baby, One More Time," when the road and her car both said, "Bet."

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots from ​@lynnshazeen's TikTok video
@lynnshazeen/TikTok

Woman Goes Viral After Revealing How Her Obsession With Matcha Landed Her In The Hospital

Let's be honest: Too much of anything isn't good for us. It's all about the balance!

But the media and social media trends have taught us that certain things are really good for us, encouraging us to be like the "very mindful and very demure" girls and take care of ourselves. One such example is drinking more matcha, especially if you really like coffee or think you have a caffeine addiction.

Keep ReadingShow less