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Dem lawmaker accused of writing racist, homophobic tweets. He says someone else wrote them.
A Pennsylvania Democratic state senator has denied Republican claims that he made racist and homophobic remarks on social media over a decade ago, NBC News reported.On Tuesday, Sept. 24, the Pennsylvania Senate Republican Campaign Committee (SRCC) accused Sen. Jimmy Dillon (D-PA) of posting offensive comments about Black, Asian, and LGBTQ communities on X, formerly known as Twitter, through an account associated with the basketball academy he runs, called Hoops 24-7. Related Trans candidate Vivian Smotherman was attacked by Libs of TikTok. Shes fighting back by winning. Smotherman exuded confidence talked to LGBTQ Nation about her campaign, racist charter schools, and studying trans history. The SRCC pointed to five tweets from 2011 to 2015, which have since been deleted, but screenshots were provided. The Tweets used the N-word, gay as an insult, and used racist terms about Asian people. Your LGBTQ+ guide to Election 2024 Stay ahead of the 2024 Election with our newsletter that covers candidates, issues, and perspectives that matter. Subscribe to our Newsletter today Cody Harbaugh, the SRCCs Executive Director, stated, The revelation of Jimmy Dillons past use of the n-word is unsettling This was a grown man in his 30s casually using the n-word and making disgusting jokes repeatedly on his social media. We can only wonder what Jimmy Dillon is saying behind closed doors if this is the kind of language hell post publicly.Harbaugh also claimed Dillon made offensive comments about the LGBTQ and Asian communities.Although it is still unclear who authored the five offensive tweets highlighted by the SRCC, the Hoops 24-7 account often shares posts from Dillons X account and includes several posts featuring photos of Dillon that seem to be written by him in the first person.Dillon, is a native of Northeast Philadelphia, has represented the 5th senatorial district since winning a special election in May 2022, succeeding incumbent Democrat John Sabatina. He is now running for reelection and will compete against Republican candidate Joe Picozzi on Nov. 5.He denied writing the tweets, saying, As a coach, I work with kids to teach them how to play basketball and learn skills both on and off the court. Im not a big social media guy. If a basketball player who works with Hoops 24-7 posted something like this more than a decade ago, its the first Ive heard about it, and it doesnt reflect my values. He also emphasized his commitment to opposing MAGA extremists and protecting womens reproductive rights.Brittany Crampsie, a spokesperson for the Senate Democratic Campaign Committee, also defended Dillon, stating, Senator Dillons record speaks for itself. At every opportunity, he has been a strong advocate and consistent vote in support of Black and LGBTQ Pennsylvanians. Distasteful tweets from more than a decade ago written by someone else dont change that.A spokesperson for Dillons campaign said that the SRCCs accusations were typical, phony MAGA Republican distraction.Theyre digging up decades-old tweets written by someone else and waving them around like maniacs, the spokesperson said. Meanwhile, theyre hoping were too distracted to see that theyre simultaneously trying to strip away womens reproductive rights, limit access to IVF treatments, and block sensible gun violence legislation. Sorry, but its not happening.Subscribe to theLGBTQ Nation newsletterand be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.
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