After alienating Democratic voters with baseless claims that the Women and Girls in Sports Protection Act would empower child predators to perform genital examinations on girls, the left’s two most prominent figures in the House of Representatives They are not addressing the issue.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y. were among 206 Democrats who voted against a bill that would prevent transgender athletes from competing against girls and women last week.
Jeffries and Ocasio-Cortez pushed unsubstantiated claims that they would subject girls to genital examinations by child predators. There is no language in the bill to suggest genital examinations would be performed, and Republicans argued that proof of birth sex could be determined by a birth certificate.
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Jeffries and Ocasio-Cortez have not responded to multiple requests for comment from Pak Gazette Digital about their arguments, prompting a backlash from Democratic voters who said they would leave the party in response to arguments and data suggesting that most Democrats oppose transgender people. Inclusion in women’s sports.
However, Ocasio-Cortez addressed the idea that the culture wars over transgender people are a distraction during an interview on “The Daily Show” on Thursday.
“When we allow ourselves to be constantly distracted by these culture wars around trans people, it’s something new every day, and the answer is not just to let those people be attacked, but to say, ‘What are you doing, man?’ ‘ “I think we need to make defending those people an afterthought that’s not even a debate,” Ocasio-Cortez said.
“We need to understand and see the bait for what it is, but we don’t take the bait by letting those rights simply erode and fall by the wayside.”
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Ocasio-Cortez’s suggestion that the party should make transgender protections an afterthought comes after she launched a tirade defending transgender people and opposing the Women’s Protection Act. Girls in Sports in the House of Representatives last week.
Her rant sparked widespread ridicule, and Democrats have since expressed their distaste for her and the party’s handling of the issue.
Prominent Rutgers law professor Gary Francione, a lifelong Democrat and LGBTQ rights advocate, told Pak Gazette Digital that he left the Democratic Party in response to its opposition to the bill.
“That bothered me a lot because it screamed lack of integrity, lack of honesty,” Francione told Pak Gazette Digital in an exclusive interview. “Is this the way you fight battles? By trying to insult other people who oppose you and disagree with you and insinuating that they are child molesters or pedophiles? It seems to me that you have lost the game… No I know how they are going to get out of this.”
Francione said many of the other Democrats in his law and education network share his disdain for the party’s response to the bill and will also leave the party.
“I can say with confidence from the people I know who are Democrats that I’ve talked to, that the vast majority of them are very unhappy with all of this and feel like the party has lost its way,” Francione said. “I know a couple who said they were going to [unregister]”.
Voter registration data suggests the party is losing members in Francione’s home state of Pennsylvania. However, there is no specific information available about the reason. Prominent political organizer Scott Pressler announced on X-Day that voter registration data shows the number of Democratic voters decreased by 24,867 from January 14 to January 21, the week following the House hearing.
Only two Democrats joined the Republican majority in voting for the bill, Reps. Henry Cuellar and Vicente González, both of Texas. Her decision to defect from the rest of the party and vote for the protection of women and girls in sports reflects a growing position among many voters in her party and independents, according to recent data.
A recent New York Times/Ipsos Poll found that the vast majority of Americans, including most Democrats, do not believe transgender athletes should be allowed to compete in women’s sports. Of the 2,128 people surveyed, 79% said biological men who identify as women should not be allowed to participate in women’s sports. Of the 1,025 people who identified as Democrats or Democratic-leaning, 67% said transgender athletes should not be allowed to compete with women.
The Protecting Women and Girls in Sports Act heads to the Senate after passing the House, and will need more votes from Democrats to overcome a filibuster and move to President Donald Trump’s desk.
Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., told Pak Gazette Digital in an exclusive interview that she hopes the bill gets the Democratic votes it needs to pass the Senate.
“I would hope there was. I hope there was,” he said.
“Many of my Democratic friends will tell you that they believe Title IX exists and that having biological men running against women is inappropriate. And they want opportunities for their daughters, nieces or granddaughters. And they find it frustrating when they hear or witness a transgender man playing in a women’s or girl’s league.”
Blackburn added that he has “no idea” what Democrats who suggested the law would subject girls to genital exams were thinking when they made that argument.
“I find it very difficult to believe that protecting girls in sports would have such an adverse effect,” Blackburn said. “Looking at the content of the bill is the best way to argue against it and know that a large majority of Americans support protecting girls in women’s sports.”
