FORT WAYNE, Ind. (AP) — Twitter has suspended an Indiana congressman’s official account after removing a post about a transgender Biden administration official over a violation of the social media company’s rules.
Twitter’s action came after Republican Rep. Jim Banks posted tweets last week regarding Dr. Rachel Levine becoming the first openly transgender four-star officer in the U.S. uniformed services.
Banks had responded by writing: “The title of first female four-star officer gets taken by a man.”
The post was removed with a reference to Twitter rules that include a ban on “targeted misgendering” of transgender people.
Banks is standing by his post.
In a statement released on his second Twitter account, he wrote, “Big Tech doesn’t have to agree with me, but they shouldn’t be able to cancel me. If they silence me, they will silence you.”
He also said if Republicans take back the House in the midterm election, they “must restore honesty” to public forums and hold big tech accountable.
A Twitter spokeswoman told The Washington Post that Banks’ tweet violated the company’s hateful conduct policy.
