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Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., came under fire on social media for a post celebrating “Transgender Awareness Week.”
There has been widespread criticism from activists fighting to protect women’s sports from biological transgender athletes.
Celebrities speaking include former U.S. gymnast and co-founder of XX-XY Athletics Jennifer Sey and former UPenn swimmer and conservative influencer Paula Scanlan.
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Ocasio-Cortez faced immense criticism for advocating for trans athletes in women’s and women’s sports in 2024 and early 2025. The congresswoman then sparked a viral feud with conservative activist Riley Gaines in late October.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., speaks at a rally in New York on May 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Angelina Katsanis)
In a series of X-rated posts, Ocasio-Cortez mocked Gaines, who had just given birth to her first child, with comments such as: “I’d like to challenge this person to get a real job” and “Maybe if you had channeled all that anger into swimming faster, you wouldn’t have come in fifth.”
In January, Ocasio-Cortez was mocked for a hysterical rant in the House of Representatives about protecting citizens. Women and girls in sport Act. In a two-minute viral tirade, she included false and unsubstantiated claims. His speech ended with an unexplained assertion that “CEOs love this bill” as it relates to California wildfires.
Ocasio-Cortez opened her argument by referencing Republicans’ history of voting against the “Violence Against Women Act” and an apparent false claim in reference to their stance on abortion rights.
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Ocasio-Cortez was also one of several Democrats who made unsubstantiated claims that the bill would subject young girls to sexual predators.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) speaks to the media outside the Thomas P. O’Neil Jr. House Office Building on February 28, 2024 in Washington, DC (Jemal Countess/Getty Images for the Congressional Integrity Project)
“And why? To open up gender, and yes, genital exams to little girls in this country, supposedly in the name of an attack on trans girls!” Ocasio-Cortez continued.
Nowhere in the bill does it say that girls or women would be subject to a genital exam in order to participate in sporting activities. However, Ocasio-Cortez, along with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and other Democrats who oppose it, have cited this possibility as their main argument for opposing the law.
The argument drew backlash from voters in both parties, including prominent Rutgers law professor Gary Francione, who has been a lifelong Democrat since the 1970s. Francione previously told PK Press Club Digital that he deregistered from the party in response to Ocasio-Cortez and suggested other Democrats would follow.
“I can say with confidence that the vast majority of Democrats I know are very unhappy about 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]”.
Earlier in January, a New York Times/Ipsos survey found that the vast majority of Americans, including a majority of Democrats, do not believe transgender athletes should be allowed to compete in women’s sports.
Of the 2,128 people who participated, 79% said biological males who identify as female 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.
