Gerald L. Brady (born July 9, 1956) is an American politician who served as a Democratic member of the

Delaware House of Representatives The Delaware State House of Representatives is the lower house of the Delaware General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Delaware. It is composed of 41 Representatives from an equal number of constituencies, each of whom is ...

, representing District 4 from 2007 to 2022. He was elected in 2006 after the retirement of

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

Joseph G. Di Pinto. Brady resigned from office in February 2022, stating that he had been suffering from

post-traumatic stress disorder Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental and behavioral disorder that can develop because of exposure to a traumatic event, such as sexual assault, warfare, traffic collisions, child abuse, domestic violence, or other threats on ...

. The resignation followed the spread of leaked emails which showed him using racial slurs towards

Asian American Asian Americans are Americans of Asian ancestry (including naturalized Americans who are immigrants from specific regions in Asia and descendants of such immigrants). Although this term had historically been used for all the indigenous people ...

s as well as a shoplifting investigation.

Early life and education

Brady graduated from

Salesianum School Salesianum School is a Catholic independent school for boys located in Wilmington, Delaware. It is run independently within the Diocese of Wilmington and is operated by the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales. The current enrollment is about 930 st ...

and King's College. He is a Chief Warrant Officer Four with the Delaware Army National Guard where he has served since 1981, and a Veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom and the Counter War on Terrorism.

Controversies

Use of racial slur

In June 2021, Brady referred to sex workers using the racist and misogynistic term "

chink ''Chink'' is an English-language ethnic slur usually referring to a person of Chinese descent. The word is also sometimes indiscriminately used against people of East Asian, North Asian and Southeast Asian appearance. The use of the term des ...

broads." These words were used in an email and was sent amidst rising anti-Asian sentiment in the US during the COVID-19 pandemic which had been the focus of national attention months earlier when eight people, six of whom were Asian women, were killed in the

2021 Atlanta spa shootings On March 16, 2021, a shooting spree occurred at three spas or massage parlors in the metropolitan area of Atlanta, Georgia, United States. Eight people were killed, six of whom were women of Asian descent, and one other person was wounded. A su ...

. Some criticisms of Brady's email noted the simultaneous use of an anti-Asian slur and misogynistic term, pointing out that racism and sexism against Asian American women are often intertwined. Brady announced he would not seek re-election for another term, but

State Senator A state senator is a member of a state's senate in the bicameral legislature of 49 U.S. states, or a member of the unicameral Nebraska Legislature. Description A state senator is a member of an upper house in the bicameral legislatures of 49 U ...

Sarah McBride Sarah McBride (born August 9, 1990) is an American activist and politician who has been a Democratic member of the Delaware Senate since January 2021. She was previously the National Press Secretary of the Human Rights Campaign. After winning ...

and

State Representative A state legislature is a legislative branch or body of a political subdivision in a federal system. Two federations literally use the term "state legislature": * The legislative branches of each of the fifty state governments of the United Sta ...

Madinah Wilson-Anton Madinah Wilson-Anton (born 1993) is an American politician serving in the Delaware House of Representatives for district 26 as a Democrat. She is the first practicing Muslim elected to the Delaware General Assembly. She defeated incumbent John ...

called on him to resign. In response to the remarks, AFL-CIO president Liz Shuler called for Brady's resignation as Delaware State AFL-CIO Executive Director, a post he has held since 2003. On January 22, 2022, Brady announced he would resign his seat, effective January 31.

January 2022 arrest

On January 25, 2022, Brady was arrested by

Newark Newark most commonly refers to: * Newark, New Jersey, city in the United States * Newark Liberty International Airport, New Jersey; a major air hub in the New York metropolitan area Newark may also refer to: Places Canada * Niagara-on-the ...

police and charged with two counts of

shoplifting Shoplifting is the theft of goods from an open retail establishment, typically by concealing a store item on one's person, in pockets, under clothes or in a bag, and leaving the store without paying. With clothing, shoplifters may put on items ...

. Brady stole a shopping cart full of firewood from Acme on December 29, 2021. He tried to steal more items at the same location on January 12, 2022, but this time, he was confronted by a store employee. In May 2022, Brady was convicted of shoplifting and sentenced to two months

probation Probation in criminal law is a period of supervision over an offender, ordered by the court often in lieu of incarceration. In some jurisdictions, the term ''probation'' applies only to community sentences (alternatives to incarceration), such ...

Electoral history

*In 2006, Brady won the Democratic primary with 746 votes (50.2%), and went on to win the general election with 4,053 votes (55.0%) against Republican nominee Gary Linarducci. *In 2008, Brady won the general election with 7,174 votes (73.4%) against Republican nominee Tyler Nixon, who had also qualified and received votes as the

Libertarian Libertarianism (from french: libertaire, "libertarian"; from la, libertas, "freedom") is a political philosophy that upholds liberty as a core value. Libertarians seek to maximize autonomy and political freedom, and minimize the state's e ...

candidate. *In 2010, Brady won the general election with 5,298 votes (65.8%) against Republican nominee Richard Carroll. *In 2012, Brady was unopposed the general election, winning 9,133 votes. *In 2014, Brady won the general election with 4,356 (59.7%) against Republican nominee Robert Keesler. *In 2016, Brady was unopposed the general election, winning 9,565 votes. *In 2018, Brady was unopposed the general election, winning 8,512 votes.

References

External links

Official page
at the

Delaware General Assembly The Delaware General Assembly is the legislature of the U.S. state of Delaware. It is a bicameral legislature composed of the Delaware Senate with 21 senators and the Delaware House of Representatives with 41 representatives. It meets at Legisla ...

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Brady, Gerald L Place of birth missing (living people) 1956 births Living people Democratic Party members of the Delaware House of Representatives 21st-century American legislators National Guard (United States) officers Politicians from Wilmington, Delaware Salesianum School alumni King's College (Pennsylvania) alumni Delaware politicians convicted of crimes