Jadon MacCormack, a 23-year-old Republican candidate running for the Connecticut state legislature, used Pride Month to declare "Happy Straight Month" on Facebook — attacking the transgender and LGBTQ community, calling their identities a "perverse ideology," and vowing to fight what he described as the "corruption" of families and children.

Both Republican and Democratic leaders in Connecticut have condemned him. The top two Republicans in the state legislature called on him to step aside. The state Senate Republican leader said "he must step aside." Governor Ned Lamont called his comments hateful and "completely out of step with Connecticut values."

MacCormack doubled down anyway.

This is not a policy disagreement. This is a candidate using a platform for public office to tell LGBTQ people — including the children in the district he wants to represent — that their identities are a threat to society. That is not a qualification for public office. It is a disqualification.

Connecticut is a state that believes everyone deserves to be treated with dignity. A candidate who uses his campaign to attack LGBTQ families, students, and children has no business serving in the state legislature.

We're calling on Jadon MacCormack to withdraw from the race for Connecticut's 50th House District immediately.