'Disrespectful': State Rep Peter Hansen has been criticized after referring to women as 'vaginas' in an email on a New Hampshire House internal email
'Shameful and sexist': Republican lawmaker under-fire after calling women 'vaginas' in official email
By KATIE DAVIES
A New Hampshire lawmaker has been blasted as a 'shameful' sexist after referring to women as 'vaginas' in a mass email.
Republican State Rep. Peter Hansen, of Amherst, was under-fire for the official email sent via the New Hampshire House internal email system on April 1 and made public on Monday.
The politician was complaining about a bill passed last month which repealed parts of the Stand your Ground self-defense law.
In his email to Rep. Steve Vaillancourt, also a Republican, who defended retreating from violence instead of using force, he said that his colleague hadn't considered the case of women and children.
'What could possibly be missing from those factual tales of successful retreat in VT, Germany, and the bowels of Amsterdam? Why children and vagina's [sic] of course,' he wrote.
'While the tales relate the actions of a solitary male the outcome cannot relate to similar situations where children and women and mothers are the potential victims.'
His comments were immediately picked up by Democrat State Rep Rick Watrous.
'Are you really using 'vaginas' as a crude catch-all for women? Really?,' he replied.
'Please think before you send out such offensive language on the legislative listserve.'
'Are you really using 'vaginas' as a crude catch-all for women? Really?,' he replied.
'Please think before you send out such offensive language on the legislative listserve.'
Political blogger Susan the Bruce reported the exchange and criticized Hansen: 'That the representative chose to describe women as 'vagina's' is certainly an affront to half the population. That he failed to properly pluralize the word adds insult to idiocy.'
Rep Hansen was initially steadfast in his defense of the comments.
Debate: Rep. Hansen made the comment when writing to Rep. Steve Vaillancourt and criticizing him for a speech on self-defense
Outrage: State Republican chair Jennifer Horn said Rep. Hansen was disrespectful and shameful
He replied to Rep Watrous: 'Having a fairly well educated mind I do not need self appointed wardens to A: try to put words in my mouth for political gain and B: Turn a well founded strategy in communication into an insulting accusation, and finally if you find the noun vagina insulting or in some way offensive then perhaps a better exercise might be for you to re-examine your psyche.'
However, under-fire he backed down on Tuesday and apologized to 'those who took offense'
'Can there be any doubt my comment is being misinterpreted and taken completely out of context?" Hansen said in a statement.
'It was not, and is not, my intention to demean women at any time. It is apparent that the intent of my remarks has been misinterpreted, the true goal of the message lost and for that I apologize to those who took offense.'
State Republican chair Jennifer Horn denounced Rep. Hansen's comments as 'disrespectful and shameful.'
'Representative Hansen's comments are crude, offensive and have no place in public discourse,' Horn said in a statement.
'Representative Hansen's comments are crude, offensive and have no place in public discourse,' Horn said in a statement.
'There is no excuse for anybody to use such disrespectful language -- especially an elected official. I strongly condemn his disrespectful and shameful remarks.'