An undercover video released by Breitbart News shows Mississippi Democratic Senate candidate Scott Colom giving a halting and, at times, contradictory account of his position on gender-transition surgeries for minors, including struggling to recall details of a 2021 letter he signed on the subject.
In the roughly two-and-a-half-minute video, Colom, a local prosecutor running against Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, tells an undercover journalist he opposes gender-affirming surgery for children and does not believe such procedures should be legal. At the same time, he says he would not support criminally prosecuting doctors who perform them.
“So, I’m not for gender-affirming surgery for children… a ban is not a criminal thing,” Colom says in the video. When pressed further, he says it is not legal for doctors to perform the surgeries, “but I wouldn’t criminally prosecute somebody for it.”
Colom signed a 2021 letter, organized by the group Fair and Just Prosecution, opposing efforts to criminalize “gender-affirming care for transgender people.” The letter, titled “Joint Statement from Elected Prosecutors and Law Enforcement Leaders Condemning the Criminalization of Transgender People and Gender-Affirming Healthcare,” was released publicly in June 2021 and carries more than 75 signatures, including those of Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, Virginia congressional nominee Shannon Taylor, and former San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin, who was recalled from office over his criminal justice policies.
The letter states that laws banning the procedures are “blatantly unconstitutional attacks on some of the most vulnerable Americans” and pledges that signatories would not devote “scarce criminal justice and law enforcement resources on criminalization of doctors who offer medically necessary, safe gender-affirming care to trans youth, parents who safeguard their child’s health and wellbeing by seeking out such treatments, or any individuals who use facilities aligned with their gender identity.”
In the video, Colom tells the undercover journalist he does not remember all the details of the letter. “I didn’t write the letter… I don’t remember all parts of it because it was a long time ago,” he says.
As the exchange continues, Colom appears to grow frustrated. “Listen, I have never been for gender-affirming surgery for children. I’m personally pro-life… I don’t think it should be legal, but I don’t think it should be criminal. I don’t think you should prosecute a doctor in court and send them to jail for—” The journalist interjects, “mutilating children?” Colom finishes, “—for healthcare procedures that the parent and child agree to.”
He goes on to say: “What I’m saying is this: It’s fine that it’s civilly, you can’t do it. Doctors cannot do it. I don’t think this is a criminal situation. Maybe you want to prosecute a doctor for that surgery, that’s great. Run for DA, you can run on that, and good luck with that policy! I stand behind my position that it’s not a criminal issue because we can’t criminalize social issues!”
Colom is running against Hyde-Smith in November. Hyde-Smith previously blocked his nomination to a federal judgeship during the Biden administration. Mississippi television station WJTV has reported that Hyde-Smith at the time raised concerns about large contributions to Colom’s campaigns from organizations connected to George Soros, dating back to 2015.
