Donald Trump’s pick for a federal judicial seat in Texas labeled a lawsuit protecting transgender rights "Satan's plan" and extolled the virtues of the dangerous and discredited practice of conversion therapy during two separate speeches in 2015. Jeff Mateer, who presently serves as First Assistant Attorney General of Texas, is nothing short of a fire-breathing homophobe. CNN's KFile writes:
In a May 2015 speech, titled "The Church and Homosexuality," Mateer discussed a Colorado lawsuit in which the parents of a transgender girl sued her school for preventing her from using the bathroom of her choice.
"In Colorado, a public school has been sued because a first grader and I forget the sex, she's a girl who thinks she's a boy or a boy who thinks she's a girl, it's probably that, a boy who thinks she's a girl," Mateer said in a video posted on Vimeo in 2015 and reviewed by CNN's KFile. "And the school said, 'Well, she's not using the girl's restroom.' And so she has now sued to have a right to go in. Now, I submit to you, a parent of three children who are now young adults, a first grader really knows what their sexual identity? I mean it just really shows you how Satan's plan is working and the destruction that's going on." [...]
In that same May 2015 speech, Mateer said that the Supreme Court decision allowing same-sex marriage could lead to what he called "disgusting" new forms of matrimony. [...]
Later that year in November 2015, Mateer lamented that states were banning gay conversion therapy at a conference hosted by controversial pastor Kevin Swanson, who preaches that the Biblical punishment for homosexuality is death.
Sounds like someone has issues. But if you're not already outraged by Mateer’s nomination, consider this:
Republicans manufactured a judicial crisis in Texas during Obama's presidency that resulted in 14 federal vacancies (11 federal judgeships and three Fifth Circuit appeals court seats) before Obama left office. With the help of Texas Sens. Ted Cruz and John Cornyn—who stonewalled Obama—Trump now has the opportunity to fill all those vacancies, including the seat in the Eastern District of Texas for which Mateer has now been nominated.
Mateer was elevated to his assistant AG position by thrice indicted Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. He’s also an alum of the First Liberty Institute, which has been described as the equivalent of “political ambulance chasers” for social conservatives.