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  Florida lawmaker calls House ban on hats ‘sexist’
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ContributorRBH 
Last EditedRBH  Nov 23, 2010 06:36pm
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AuthorHolly Bailey
MediaWebsite - Yahoo News
News DateMonday, November 22, 2010 07:05:00 PM UTC0:0
DescriptionLike other freshman lawmakers, newly elected Florida Rep. Frederica Wilson ran for Congress on a vow to change Washington. But her first order of business has nothing to do with health care, education or the usual mix of issues that come up in the early days of a new Congress.

Instead, Wilson's first goal is to overturn a rule that blocks her from wearing a hat on the House floor. The freshman Democrat is pressing incoming House Speaker John Boehner to overturn the rule, which dates back to the 1800s, or at least to make an exception for her. But it's unclear whether Boehner -- who, in any event, will likely have plenty of priorities ahead of a rule-change request from a member of the opposition party -- could do anything, shy of a full floor vote, to overturn the House's hat ban.

You see, Wilson doesn't own just a hat or two. By her count, the former Florida state House member owns at least 300 different hats, including custom-made sequined cowboy hats in virtually every color of the rainbow. Her hat collection is so massive, it takes up an entire room of her house, per the Miami New Times (which offers a photo gallery of Wilson's 25 best hats). "I've been wearing them almost 30 years," Wilson tells Politifact. "It's like a fetish."
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