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?”

    • celeryfc@lemm.eeEnglish
      71·
      3 days ago

      This was definitely a thing in middle school PE class back in the 90s.

      • nomy@lemmy.zipEnglish
        10·
        3 days ago

        We had a coach in middle school who made it very clear to us on the first day that’d we’d be “dressing out” every day and we’d be expected to shower because you stink after you play sports. For the first month or so he stood outside the locker room and made sure your hair was wet, he didn’t inspect any penises, or even come into the locker room that I’m aware of, but he made sure a gym full of 11yr old boys knew they were supposed to wash themselves after physical activity.

        It was a few decades ago, and he was the same gym coach that taught “health/sex education” so I get it. It was pretty uncomfortable and awkward but some people need to be told to wash themselves. I still smell grown people out in public who clearly never had a coach explain stank to them.

        RIP. Coach J you were alright even to the nerds

      • SirSamuel@lemmy.world
        2·
        3 days ago

        The worst part was how they did it in groups. First they made you take your shirt off for the scoliosis exam. Then you put your shirt back on and drop trou for the penis inspection.

        As a fat kid it was terrible

    • Whats_your_reasoning@lemmy.world
      1·
      3 days ago

      My middle school held an assembly over a fad of “dick tapping” that had taken over the boys in the school. Apparently it had become “a thing” for them to just reach over and slap their friends’ penises, and it got so bad that we needed a damn assembly.

      All us girls were extremely confused. We legit thought most of the boys in our school must have secretly been gay if they wanted to touch each other’s dicks so badly. Even if the boys weren’t gay, we figured they must be pretty frickin’ stupid to play such a dumb “game.” A lot of us had crushes evaporate in an instant, and I for one never looked at the boys in my class the same again.

      Nowadays, I know better than to assume one’s sexuality from such things. However, I never stopped being extremely confused about that game.

      • Soggy@lemmy.worldEnglish
        6·
        3 days ago

        The “game” is just inflicting pain on other boys at random and it has taken many forms over the years. My dad told me they used to play “Dead Arm”, the whole thing was just punching someone in the upper arm as hard as you could when they weren’t looking.

        Testosterone is a hell of a drug.

        • jagged_circle@feddit.nlEnglish
          1·
          3 days ago

          Yeah, that’s not testosterone. That’s toxic masculinity. It’s social; it’s not ubiquitous in all cultures.