October 07, 2026
Office of Former Governor Tom Wolf/Flickr
State Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta, above, called state Rep. Aaron Bernstine's decision to resign from House committees an 'important first step' and reiterated calls for him to leave office.
A state representative accused of using a anti-gay slur against state Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta resigned from his four House committee assignments during a House session Tuesday.
State Rep. Aaron Bernstine, a Republican who represents parts of Butler and Lawrence counties, will be replaced on the House Insurance, Intergovernmental Affairs and Operations, Labor and Industry, and Transportation committees.
A representative with Bernstine's office did not respond to a request for comment Wednesday. In a statement to the Inquirer, the legislator said his focus would be on "delivering results on the issues that matter most to Pennsylvanians," but he did not disclose if the allegations led to him stepping down.
Kenyatta, a Democrat from the 181st District in North Philadelphia who is openly gay, said in a statement Tuesday that the move was an "important first step in accountability" and reiterated calls he made last week for Bernstine to step down from office.
"Rep. Aaron Bernstine's pattern of vile and deeply troubling behavior has long been known in Harrisburg," he said. "... To every Pennsylvanian who has experienced hate, bigotry or bullying, they should know they are not alone and that as a commonwealth, we are better than this."
During a Democratic fundraiser held at McGrath's Pub in Harrisburg last week, Bernstine allegedly called Kenyatta a "gay, Black (slur)" and suggested that he has lost weight because he has AIDS, PennLive reported. He also reportedly insulted Robert Blair, the president of the Pennsylvania Building and Construction Trades Council.
Bernstine has denied making the remarks and called the reports a "political attack" from the labor union. State Reps. Napoleon Nelson, Jessica Benham, Ismail Smith-Wade-El and Tim Briggs echoed Kenyatta's calls for the Republican to resign.
"It's important to me that Rep. Bernstine resign," Kenyatta said in an Instagram video. "Not because I'm angry at him or because he hurt my feelings. It's because his behavior falls so far beneath what it must mean to be a member of the House of Representatives."
