Republican Rep. Mike Lawler stuck it to his own party last week with a Facebook post declaring solidarity with trans people.

The New York Congressman posted a long diatribe about the way freedom has always “served as a guiding light in this great democratic experiment known as America.”

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He listed many freedoms Americans enjoy, including “freedom to be who you are, what you want, and pursue your American dream.”

“In recent years, as our politics has become more corrosive and coarse, we have lost sight of a simple truth — we are all Americans, yes, but we are all human beings, created in God’s image,” he continued, invoking the Bible’s demand to “love thy neighbor as thyself.”

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He repeatedly expressed the need to recognize the worth of all people and that we must get better at disagreeing in more productive ways.

“We cannot paint with a broad brush and cannot proclaim that everyone who is different from us or has a different perspective is somehow evil or violent,” he said.

And a few paragraphs from the end, he took a strong stance on trans acceptance.

“Let me be clear: LGBTQ+ people, and especially our Transgender community members, are not an enemy or a threat.”

“We should never allow rhetoric to paint them as dangerous simply for being who they are. It is time to take the temperature down. LGBTQ+ people are our equals and deserve to be treated with dignity and respect.”

“Let us resolve our differences with civil debate and a free exchange of ideas — not with violence or hate.”

His words were met with mixed reactions, with many in the comments imploring him to practice what he preaches and reminding him that his words are meaningless without action.

Opinions are mixed on whether Lawler is a bit more moderate or if he’s a full-blown MAGA warrior.

His record on LGBTQ+ issues is mixed as well. In July, he advocated with Republican leaders to restore federal funding for LGBTQ+ youth-specific crisis services, declaring, “Regardless of what your viewpoint is with respect to, for instance, gender-affirming care, the fact is we should all be united against suicide. We should want to provide the resources and lifelines to anyone who is in crisis.”

But he has also voted against gender-affirming care access for troops and their families and in favor of an anti-trans sports ban.

Brooke Malloy, executive director of the Rockland County Pride Center, told The Advocate that Lawler used to more proactively support their organization, but after the inauguration, he became silent, despite their pleas for him to take a stand for trans and queer rights.

“He hasn’t said anything pro-LGBTQ since this administration took office. He didn’t show up to Pride this year…. Nobody from the GOP showed up. So to see him post this — it was the lowest bar possible.”

“If you believe LGBTQ+ people are equal,” Malloy continued, “then why stay silent when your party targets us daily?”

“Say it on Fox News. Say it on the House floor. Say the president is wrong to vilify LGBTQ+ people. That’s what courage looks like.”

She also said she knows he “knows better” but “does what serves him personally and professionally.”

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