October 02, 2026
Office of Former Governor Tom Wolf/Flickr
State Rep. Malcom Kenyatta (D-181) is urging state Rep. Aaron Bernstine to resign for reportedly calling him an anti-gay slur at a Harrisburg bar on Tuesday. Bernstine denies making the remarks.
State Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta is calling for the resignation of another state lawmaker who reportedly used an anti-gay slur to refer to Kenyatta at a Harrisburg bar on Tuesday night.
Kenyatta, (D-181) who is openly gay, had not commented on the matter until Friday morning, when he posted an Instagram video that called for state Rep. Aaron Bernstine, a Republican who represents portions of Butler and Lawrence counties in the Eighth District, to step down.
"It's important to me that Rep. Bernstine resign, not because I'm angry at him or because he hurt my feelings," Kenyatta, who represents portions of North Philadelphia, said on Instagram. "It's because his behavior falls so far beneath what it must mean to be a member of the House of Representatives. When you use language that demonizes people, that belittles people, it's never about one person. It's indicative of what you will do to anybody."
On Thursday, PennLive reported that Bernstine had called Kenyatta a "gay, Black (slur)" and falsely suggested he has lost weight because he has AIDS during a Democratic fundraiser held at McGrath's Pub. Michael Ford, the secretary/treasurer Pennsylvania Building and Construction Trades Council, told PennLive that Bernstine made the remarks during a verbal confrontation between Ford and Bernstine. Bernstine also reportedly insulted Robert Bair, the president of the trades council who was sitting at a nearby table and not involved in the conflict.
"You could say whatever you want about me and Rob and the building trades, but when you start talking about a guy that ain't even there in, like, a way that's really derogatory, that's not cool," Ford told PennLive.
Bernstine has denied making the remarks. In an interview with KDKA Newsradio in Pittsburgh, Bernstine called the PennLive report a "political attack" by the labor union that left out "key details" from the argument.
"During the encounter, statements directed at me included, 'I know where you live,' 'I can't wait to see you outside,' and 'I'll kill you," Bernstine said. "Political disagreements never justify threats or intimidation. It's a shame that they need to spread falsehoods to win hearts and minds."
On Thursday, state Rep. Napoleon Nelson (D-154), who chairs the Pennsylvania Legislative Black Caucus, and state Reps. Jessica Benham (D-36) and Ismail Smith-Wade-El (D-49), who co-chair the LGBTQ+ Equality Caucus, called for Bernstine to step down. In a joint statement, the lawmakers said Bernstine's comments made him unfit to serve, and that he must be held accountable for his "pathetic behavior."
"No one should have to endure personal attacks or hateful rhetoric to do their job," the chairs wrote. "We will continue to stand firmly against hate, intimidation, and bullying, and to defend the dignity of every person who serves in this chamber."
State Rep. Tim Briggs, a Democrat who represents portions of Montgomery County, also issued a statement calling on Bernstine to resign.
Bernstine did not immediately return a request for comment on the calls for his resignation.
