A new profile on a freshman Washington state senator gave people a glimpse into the microaggressions he’s facing as a public servant.

In an interview with Seattle newspaper The Stranger, Democratic state Sen. Joe Nguyen, the son of Vietnamese refugees, revealed that Republican state Sens. Phil Fortunato and Minority Leader Mark Schoesler decided to mock his name after he passed his first bill last year.

While it’s tradition to roast a freshman senator when they pass their first bill, racism isn’t quite customary.

“I’d like to know how you get ‘win’ out of Nguyen,” Fortunato said, according to The Stranger.

“I’m going to work really hard to learn to spell and pronounce member ‘new guy’s’ name, and hopefully by the end of this session he’ll be able to spell and pronounce my name,” Schoesler added.

Nguyen told HuffPost he actually has the most common last name in the most populous county in the state, making his colleagues’ comments all the more astounding. And while some have brushed off the jabs as just playful teasing, the freshman senator explained that there’s a larger issue at hand.

“The reason why it’s so frustrating and dehumanizing is that if they don’t even respect you enough to learn how to say your name, they won’t respect your values and respect your ideals,” Nguyen said. “When we had it on the Senate floor ... it kinda just showed their thought process.”