Trafford councilman criticized for transphobic joke about state health secretary

A Trafford councilman is under fire for making a comment he deemed a joke about Pennsylvania Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine’s gender on Gov. Tom Wolf’s Facebook page.

Wolf on his Facebook page Sunday wished a happy Father’s Day to all Pennsylvania dads.

Zack Cole, a Republican councilman who chairs Trafford’s public safety committee, replied: “Happy Father’s Day to Richard Levine as well.”

The comment was in reference to Levine, a transgender woman with two children from a previous marriage.

A Facebook comment made by Trafford Borough Councilman Zack Cole.

Several people replied to criticize Cole’s comment, and Cole responded to defend his remark.

“(People) just can’t appreciate humor anymore,” he said in one response.

Some commenters criticized Cole for making the joke as a public official.

“My entire life doesn’t revolve around my constituents,” Cole wrote. “And honestly, I think most of my constituents would have seen the humor in what I’ve said.”

Deliberately referring to a transgender person by their birth name is known as “deadnaming.”

“A lot of trans people do not feel comfortable maintaining that name, because it contrasts with what their actual gender is,” said Vanessa McGivern, a transgender woman from Moon Township. “So deadnaming someone is being deliberately disrespectful, it’s not the same as an accidental misgendering. When you’re deadnaming someone, you are being deliberate; you are attacking them.”

In response to a request for comment from the Tribune-Review, Cole provided a link to his own Facebook page.

On Tuesday, he posted a statement addressing the incident. He said the statement was “not an apology” but acknowledged the original comment was “in bad taste.”

He said he’s angry at Wolf and Levine for their handling of the covid-19 pandemic.

“Those of you that know me personally know I am the type of man to say what’s on my mind, regardless of possibly hurting someone’s feelings,” he wrote. “I do not, and will not, adhere to this ‘politically correct’ society some Americans want.”

He said his critics “verbally attacked my infant son, contacted other council members and even tried to hijack my (Facebook) account.”

The Pennsylvania Department of Health said in a statement that Levine had no comment on the incident.

“She remains laser-focused on protecting the health and well-being of Pennsylvanians as we navigate this ongoing pandemic,” the department said.

Trafford Council President Kris Cardiff declined to comment.

Rafael Alvarez Febo, director of the Pennsylvania Commission on LGBTQ Affairs, issued a statement this month denouncing transphobic remarks directed toward Levine.

“This leadership has been met with some of the most vile and toxic transphobia our commission has seen in our commonwealth in recent years,” he said. “Week after week, members of the LGBTQ community and thousands of Pennsylvanians have tuned in to be informed by our health secretary only to be assaulted by streams of comments and slurs aimed directly at Dr. Levine and indirectly at all transgender Pennsylvanians.”

Last week, Scott Township commissioner Paul Abel resigned under intense criticism after a public meeting in which he referred to Levine as “a guy dressed up like a woman.” More than 200 township residents signed a letter calling for his resignation, along with 236 people from outside the township.

The Delta Foundation of Pittsburgh, an LGBTQ advocacy group, issued a statement in response to Cole’s comments.

“Every single day, Dr. Levine has offered a calming presence in her daily briefings on the coronavirus pandemic,” the foundation said. “We’re disappointed at the vitriol that continues to be directed against someone whose top concern is keeping Pennsylvanian’s healthy.”

Wolf appointed Levine as state health secretary in 2015.