He huffed about how the question wasn’t “appropriate” even though his bill would result in kids being asked that same question.
A Republican state rep from Michigan testifying about his anti-trans sports bill on Monday was left speechless after an out Democratic colleague began his questioning by asking, “Representative, can you tell me: are you trans?”
A long beat staring down out gay Democratic state Rep. Mike McFall followed, before state Rep. Jason Woolford ® managed to reply, “Are you?”
“I’m actually going somewhere with this,” he said to lawmakers in the small chamber.
“Because I want to know, how does a 14-year-old girl prove whether or not she’s trans to a 50-year-old coach?”
I love this. This is a really good, simple, impactful strategy.
The GOP is just a bad debater.
My immediate thought was to say something like “That question proves my point! We have no way of knowing who is or isn’t trans without careful testing!”
“Under this bill, coaches will ask their students this very question. High school coaches are the ones who will be performing this so-called ‘qualified testing’, and it starts with this question. Are you trans?”
“What if I ask you to prove it? Will you be comfortable doing that for me? Would you prefer we bring in a high school coach?”
“When do you think it’s okay for someone to ask you to prove your gender? What if my colleagues and I are uncomfortable sharing the Congressional bathrooms and athletic facilities with you, until we know for sure what you are hiding in your pants? Do we have a right to ask you to prove it?”
As a GOP master [de]bater I’d jump on that last one. “Certainly you have a right. I’ll bring in a note from my doctor tomorrow,”
The great thing about this is that we have now stepped past the “why” part of the argument and gotten to the “how.”
"To clarify, sir, a medical note is unacceptable. In order to comply with this bill, do you believe you should be forced to provide your original birth certificate to prove you are cisgender before you can participate in any sports activities? "
Besides, they drink the kool-aid. They’re bad debaters because they believe this shit - as evidenced in this article - and most of them would absolutely not be willing to prove they are cisgender.
I take the long view. In the 1950s Conservatives would tell you that Rock and Roll was a danger.
Whatever nonsense they come up with today will pass on and they will find some other nonsense to scare their voters.
I take the long view too.
In the 1950s they would tell you that being gay is a sin. They would call homosexuality a danger to society, a threat to children, a product of brainwashing and perversion and all sorts of abhorrent hateful things.
In the 2020s most of them are saying the exact same things about being transgender. That they are a danger to society, a threat to women and children, and a product of brainwashing and perversion.
But an increasing number are yet again saying the exact same things about gay people, and celebrating that they can finally “say it like it is”. Those that ever stopped, that is.
In the 1950s many of them would also tell you that <insert racial slur here> don’t belong in positions of leadership or deserve jobs or support. That they are unqualified, uneducated, inferior, lazy, or outright violent criminals.
In the 2020s many of them are saying that <insert racial minority here> don’t belong in positions of leadership or deserve jobs or support. That they are unqualified, uneducated, untrustworthy, lazy, or outright violent criminals.
If you really believe that any of this is new, that any of this is different, that any of it has ever had anything to do with taste in music, I’ve got a bridge to sell you. They’ve changed the words around, they’ve adapted to the times and say things like “woke” and “DEI”, but they’re using those words to gleefully campaign against minorities in government, in schools, in the workforce, and in healthcare.
Whatever nonsense they come up with today will be used to spread hate, fear, and ignorance among their voters and keep racial, sexual, and gender minorities oppressed and vilified as the useful scapegoats for all of problems of the day that their nonsense often caused and yet is somehow hailed as a solution.
Just wanted to let you know I saved a copy of this text to share with my friend group. This encapsulates so much of the conservative logos in a way that makes it transparent what’s going on today.
Plenty of people have pointed out that trans panic is just gay panic rebranded for the modern day but this was the most eloquent and concise way of putting it I’ve ever seen in text format. Thanks for taking the time.
And in the meantime some minority will suffer unnecessary harassment i guess
Well, you certainly can’t expect the Right to start dealing with facts, can you?
“Okay, I’ll inspect your genitals, drop 'em and we’ll prove it to everyone”
problem is: these bigots would LOVE to show off the little junk they have in exchange for seeing others.
They’d probably have a sickly grin on too, because it brings back fond memories of Uncle Touchy’s Naked Puzzle Basement.
Spoiler: the rep is uncle touchy
“That’s why we’ll have to fire a dozen teachers; so we can have trained inspectors on hand.”
You have to put yourself in their mindset…
I’m sure they’ll have plenty of proper god fearing Christian good old boys just lining up to do their solemn duty.
I’d like to think that line wouldn’t play too well with the general public but I’m actually not so sure anymore
My phrasing was deliberately over the top, but you are sadly correct…