Bill Maher Blasts Seattle Candidate Melissa Chaudhry Over LGBT Rights Comments
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Aug 18
Bill Maher Blasts Seattle Candidate Melissa Chaudhry Over LGBT Rights Comments
1 articles · Updated · Fox News · Aug 18
Summary
Bill Maher used his Aug. 14 show to accuse Seattle congressional candidate Melissa Chaudhry of sidelining LGBT rights to avoid alienating Muslim voters in Washington’s 9th District.
Maher centered on Chaudhry’s earlier remark that LGBT issues were absent from her website because “a lot of Muslims do not feel that way,” saying liberals should not “throw gay people under the bus.”
Chaudhry later called the interview exchange “one of the least-proud moments of my life” and said queer voters’ rights are “safe with me” and that she has backed full LGBTQ+ equality her entire life.
In a separate video, she said media outlets distorted her position while ignoring rape and death threats she says she has faced over her scarf during the campaign.
The clash adds pressure to Chaudhry’s progressive primary challenge against longtime Democratic Rep. Adam Smith, turning her outreach to Muslim constituents into a broader debate over liberal priorities.