Sen. Mike Enzi (R-WY) told high school students last week that a man who wears tutus to bars and gets into fights “kind of asks for it.”
The senator made the remark Thursday during a Q&A with students grades 6-12 at Greybull High School, in response to one student who asked what he was doing to “improve the life of the LGBT community in Wyoming.” The exchange was recorded and later published by the Greybull Standard. (Listen here at 32:40)
Enzi said that not everything can be achieved through the law, and “what we need to have is a little civility between people.” Then he launched into a bizarre anecdote.
“We always say that in Wyoming you can be just about anything you want to be, as long as you don’t push it in somebody’s face,” the senator said. “I know a guy who wears a tutu and goes to bars on Friday night and is always surprised that he gets in fights. Well, he kind of asks for it. That’s the way that he winds up with that kind of problem.”
A spokesman for Enzi, Max D’Onofrio, did not respond to TPM’s request for comment on the exchange. In a statement to the Huffington Post, though, Enzi said he believed “all individuals should be treated with respect.”
“No person, including LGBT individuals, should feel unsafe in their community,” he added. “My message was intended specifically to be about promoting respect and tolerance toward each other. I hope if people look at the entirety of my speech, they will understand that. I regret a poor choice of words during part of my presentation. None of us is infallible and I apologize to anyone who has taken offense. No offense was intended. Quite the opposite in fact, and so I ask for your understanding as well.”
Later on Thursday, Enzi closed his remarks with sage advice for the students: “I guarantee it, from my own experience, if you embarrass somebody, they will remember it for life. Try not to do that. Now, it’s almost impossible not to do that. Try and apologize or whatever as soon as possible.”
“It’s all about how you treat each other,” he concluded.
