Fire chief apologizes after he dressed up as Marilyn Monroe for fundraising dunk tank in Bloomsburg

Pennsylvania fire chief is forced to apologize after he wore a dress and blonde wig for fundraising dunk tank and fair organizers suggested he was dressed up as Pennsylvania’s transgender heath secretary

  • Fire chief of Main Township, David Broadt, dressed up as a woman for charity 
  • The Bloomsburg Fair Association has apologized for sharing transgender post  
  • Broadt was compared to Pennsylvania’s health secretary Dr Rachel Levine 

A fire chief has apologized after he dressed as woman for a fundraising dunk tank and was then compared to Pennsylvania’s transgender heath secretary. 

A now-deleted Facebook post that joked ‘wonder why so many were trying to dunk you’ was posted by the Bloomsburg Fair Association. 

The fire chief of Main Township, David Broadt, was in the tank at the event, held at the weekend. He said he was ‘going for a Marilyn Monroe look’ and it was ‘just in fun’, reported NBC News.

A now-deleted Facebook post that joked ‘wonder why so many were trying to dunk you’ was shared by the Bloomsburg Fair Association

David Broadt is seen dressed in a dress, wig and glasses at the event at the weekend

David Broadt is seen dressed in a dress, wig and glasses at the event at the weekend

David Broadt is seen dressed in a dress, wig and glasses at the event at the weekend

But others compared Mr Broadt to transgender health secretary Dr Rachel Levine, who has been leading the state’s coronavirus response, prompting anger from LGBTQ groups.

The full social media post read: ‘Dr. Levine? Thank you. You were a hit and raised a lot of money for the local fire companies. Wonder why so many were trying to dunk you?’  

Randy Karschner, the president of the Bloomsburg Fair Association, which ran the carnival to raise money for firefighters last weekend, said ‘we apologize’ for sharing the post.

He added: ‘Somebody walked by and said it resembled the doctor and it just went from there. It was a good time until it hit social media, and as 20/20 hindsight goes it’s not as clear in front sometimes as it is behind.’

In a statement, Levine’s spokesperson, Nate Wardle, said the secretary ‘remains laser-focused on protecting the health and well-being of Pennsylvanians as we navigate this ongoing pandemic.’ 

Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., said Levine is owed an apology for the carnival incident.

The fire chief of Main Township, David Broadt, was compared to Pennsylvania's Secretary of Health Dr Rachel Levine (pictured in May) after he dressed up as a woman for a fundraising dunk tank

The fire chief of Main Township, David Broadt, was compared to Pennsylvania’s Secretary of Health Dr Rachel Levine (pictured in May) after he dressed up as a woman for a fundraising dunk tank

‘Dr. Levine is an honorable public servant whose tireless work to keep PA safe and healthy has saved countless lives,’ he wrote on Twitter on Monday. ‘The members of the Pennsylvania transgender community are our neighbors and friends. Treat them that way. 

Pennsylvania state Rep. Brian Sims, a Democrat from Philadelphia, wrote a series of tweets praising Dr Levine.

He said: ‘Pennsylvania has been blessed with the world-class leadership & public health expertise that our Secretary of Health brings to the table. 

‘Her actions have saved tens of thousands of lives and she continues to be a leader during this global pandemic.’  

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk