GOP lawmaker suspended from Twitter after misgendering four-star officer

Rep. Jim Banks (R-Ind) has been suspended from Twitter following his offensive remark insulting a transgender government official, according to USA Today.

On Saturday, October 23, Banks tweeted his reaction to Dr. Rachel Levine being appointed as an admiral and the highest-ranking official of the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps. Levine also made history by becoming the United States' first openly transgender four-star officer."

Responding to Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, Banks wrote, "The title of first female four-star officer gets taken by a man."

Per USA Today, a spokesperson for Twitter detailed Banks' suspension and the requirement he must satisfy to access his account again. The spokesperson stated "that Banks's account was 'temporarily locked for violating our Hateful Conduct Policy,' adding that Banks 'is required to delete the violative Tweet' before he can regain access to his account."

USA Today also noted that Banks' actions are in violation of Twitter's community policy which "prohibits the 'targeting others with repeated slurs, tropes or other content that intends to dehumanize, degrade or reinforce negative or harmful stereotypes about a protected category,' which includes 'targeted misgendering or deadnaming of transgender individuals.'"

Despite the outcry from right-wingers, Levine made it clear she is looking forward to her professional future. Speaking to NPR, she shared her reaction to receiving the prestigious honor. "[Becoming a four-star officer] is very meaningful to me. I am so impressed by the dedication, the commitment and the expertise of the officers and the United States Public Health Service Commission Corps," Levine said. "And it is truly an honor to lead them and to serve with them."