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Mike Huckabee jokes about pretending to be transgender to shower with girls

By Cox Media Group National Content Desk
June 3, 2015

Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee is under fire after a video clip of him making a joke about the transgender community went viral.
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"I wish that someone told me that when I was in high school that I could have felt like a woman when it came time to take showers in PE," the Republican presidential hopeful said at the National Religious Broadcasters Convention in February. "I'm pretty sure that I would have found my feminine side and said, 'Coach, I think I'd rather shower with the girls today.'"

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The speech was captured in a video, which made the rounds on YouTube over the weekend. The clip was circulated by BuzzFeed and other news outlets Tuesday following the debut of Caitlyn Jenner – formerly known as Bruce Jenner – in Vanity Fair.

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Chris Hartman, director of the Fairness Campaign LGBT advocacy group, slammed Huckabee's comments.
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"What Huckabee doesn't seem to understand, but any law enforcement officer or educator can tell you, is that allowing folks to use restrooms that match their gender identities doesn't change the laws that govern appropriate bathroom behavior," Hartman told the Huffington Post. "If someone is seeking to sexually exploit others – as Huckabee suggests he might have tried in high school – they will be dealt with by the proper authorities."

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