A congressional subcommittee hearing ended early on Tuesday after Ranking Member Rep. Bill Keating (D-Mass.) raised his voice at Rep Keith Self (R-Texas) for correctly introducing trans-identifying Rep. Sarah McBride (D-Del.) as a man. This marks the second controversy in as many months over Republicans referring to McBride as “Mister.”

The altercation came only an hour into a hearing of the House Foreign Affairs Committee’s Subcommittee on Europe, titled “Arms Control, International Security, & U.S. Assistance to Europe: Review and Reforms for the State Department.” When McBride’s turn came to question the expert witnesses, Subcommittee Chairman Self introduced him, “I now recognize the representative from Delaware, Mr. McBride.”

Without skipping a beat, McBride responded, “Thank you, Madam Chair,” then proceeded with his questions. Perhaps by this petty remark he intended to respond in-kind to what Democrats contend was Self’s “misgendering” introduction. It was as if the jab communicated, “Okay, how do you like being called a girl?” The difference is that McBride’s rejoinder was entirely inaccurate, while Self’s comment recognized the reality behind McBride’s pretense.

But McBride never got to ask his questions to the witnesses. Ranking Member Rep. Bill Keating (D-Mass.) interjected, “Mr. Chairman, could you repeat your introduction again please?” The exchange proceeded as follows:

Self: “We have set the standard on the floor of the House, and I am simply —”

Keating: “What is that standard, Mr. Chairman? Would you repeat what you just said, when you introduced a duly elected representative from the United States of America?”

Self: “I will. ‘The representative from Delaware, Mr. McBride.’”

Keating: “Mister? Chairman, you are out of order. Mr. Chairman, have you no decency? I mean, I’ve come to know you a little bit, but this is not decent.”

Self: “We will continue this hearing —”

Keating: [in a raised voice] “You will not continue it with me unless you introduce a duly elected representative the right way.”

Self: [striking the gavel] “This hearing is adjourned.”

So many dynamics are packed into this brief exchange. Keating, persuaded of the moral rightness of his cause, first tried to shame Self into editing his own introduction. When Self repeated himself without shame, Keating accused him of indecency. Finally, he drew a line in the sand, which Self immediately crossed.

Keating’s actions revealed his belief that it is kinder or more compassionate to call people by their own preferred pronouns — or, in this case, titles. This belief is built on transgender ideology, particularly the notion that gender identity is changeable and self-determined.

However, a person’s gender is determined by his or her biological sex, an unchanging reality that does not bend to accommodate anyone’s feelings. Anyone who embraces a gender identity contrary to their biological sex is living in a delusion, and it is not loving or kind — either to that person or to anyone else — to affirm that person in his or her delusion.

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) took this stand regarding restrooms and locker rooms in the U.S. Capitol before the new Congress officially began, in part to protect female members of Congress who had suffered sex-based violence. Last month, while chairing the House floor, Rep. Mary Miller (R-Ill.) recognized McBride as “the gentleman from Delaware, Mr. McBride.” On Tuesday, Self simply upheld the same standard in his subcommittee.

It was melodramatic for Keating to offer an ultimatum. If Self so desired, he could have simply continued the hearing without the presence of Keating or any Democrats who followed his lead. If Democrats refuse to comply with the biologically truthful standards on gender set by congressional Republicans, there is very little they can do about it, as the minority party.

It seems like Keating recognizes the weakness of the hand he is playing. When reached for comment about the subcommittee exchange, a spokesperson for his office told NBC that Keating “doesn’t think there is a need for additional comment as the video speaks for itself.”

That’s a strikingly evasive follow-up from a seasoned politician. If Keating had prepared the altercation as an ambush, surely he would seize the moment to go on offense, accusing Republicans of anti-transgender bigotry. But Keating apparently wants the incident to blow over as soon as possible.

This suggests another possibility: perhaps Keating was improvising. Perhaps what compelled him to speak was not Chairman Self recognizing “Mr. McBride” — which he could have expected — but Congressman McBride firing back by calling Self, “Madam Chair” — which he did not expect.

On this theory, Keating effectively intervened to redirect attention from the insult of his own freshman congressman — potentially more serious because it is entirely false. One Democratic member (Rep. Al Green of Texas) already stands at risk of losing his committee assignments for his outburst during President Trump’s speech to a joint session of Congress. Keating didn’t want to see yet another member of his caucus face discipline for improper behavior — and on his own watch, no less. Perhaps McBride doesn’t realize just how much Keating provided cover for him.

As for McBride, he was merely “disappointed that the chair decided to end a committee hearing early,” he announced Tuesday night. “I was prepared to move forward with my questions for the subcommittee on nuclear nonproliferation and U.S. support for Democratic allies in Europe.”

For someone who calls himself a woman, McBride seems surprisingly reconciled to the fact that the majority party in Congress will continually refer to him as a man.