Democratic lawmakers in Washington, D.C., pushed back against the Republican-led Women and Girls in Sports Protection Act last week, with baseless arguments that the law would allow sexual predators to conduct examinations. genitals of young girls.
This argument finds no basis in any provision of the bill, with Republicans insisting that no genital inspection would ever be necessary and that proof of sex at birth could simply be determined using a certificate. of birth.
Yet many prominent Democrats, including House Minority Leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., have used the sexual predator argument in statements and during testimony in the House of Representatives.
This tactic alienated some voters loyal to the party, who in response deregistered as Democrats.
Prominent law professor Gary Francione has been a longtime Democrat since the 1960s. In November, he voted for Kamala Harris and Rep. Chrissy Houlahan, D-Pa., who was one of 206 Democrats to vote against the bill last Tuesday.
But Francione, who advocates for LGBTQ rights, abortion rights and even a vegan and animal rights abolitionist, was so offended by Democratic representatives who tried to tie the bill to predator empowerment of children that he deregistered as a Democrat after last Tuesday’s hearing.
“It really upset me because it showed a lack of integrity, a lack of honesty,” Francione told PK Press Club Digital in an exclusive interview. “Is this how you fight battles? By trying to insult other people who oppose you and disagree with you and insinuate that they are child molesters or pedophiles? It seems to me that you have lost the game… I don’t know how I will ever come back from this.”
Francione has a lifelong network of other Democrats in law and other industries, and says many of them share his beliefs and will also unsubscribe from the party.
“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]”.
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Francione initially announced his departure from the party in a viral post on X over the weekend. Many of his thousands of supporters responded by insisting they would follow his lead in unregistering from the party in response to congressional representatives’ attempt to tie the bill to empowering sexual predators.
“That’s what I did. That’s when I set the limit and swapped the listing,” one user replied.
“I know the feeling. They push you into it. Welcome to the club,” wrote another.
Francione believes the principle of allowing trans athletes to compete against women is “discriminatory” against girls and women, and he went so far as to call the Democratic argument against the bill “crazy » and “irresponsible”.
“I thought it was very unfair to the large number of very honest people who care about fairness and safety in women’s sports,” he said. “These young girls, they train hard, they work hard, and then men take things away from them!”
Even former U.S. Olympic cyclist Inga Thompson admitted in a recent interview that although she is a lifelong Democrat, she has hope in President Donald Trump’s upcoming presidency because of his stance on protecting women and children. girls in sports.
Several Democratic representatives in Congress have chosen to refer to the Protecting Women and Girls in Sports Act as the House GOP Child Predator Empowerment Act. These individuals include Jeffries, Ocasio-Cortez, Rep. Bobby Scott, D-Vt; Rep. Suzanne Bonamic, D-Ore; Rep. Maxwell Frost, D-Fla.; Rep. Whip Clark, D-Mass.; and many of the other 206 Democrats who voted against the bill.
Ocasio-Cortez dismissed the fact that there is no provision in the bill suggesting that any child would be subject to genital inspections during her argument.
“The majority currently says there is no place in this bill that says it opens the way for genital exams. Well, here’s the problem, there is no enforcement mechanism in this bill. And when there is no enforcement mechanism, you open the door to every enforcement mechanism.” Ocasio-Cortez said.
Ocasio-Cortez later proclaimed, “Trans girls are girls!” »
But many Democrats who opposed the bill opposed it outright, based on the unfounded premise that it would empower sexual predators without even defending the right of trans athletes to compete in women’s sports. as allowing trans inclusion became a widely unpopular position in the November election.
Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass., was one of those who took that position. Moulton previously said he believed Democrats’ advocacy for trans inclusion was an issue that cost them dearly in November, and repeatedly defended his position of opposing trans inclusion despite the negative reactions from those in his own party and state in the weeks following the victory of President Donald Trump and the Republican Party. majorities in the House and Senate.
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But Moulton still voted against the bill Tuesday, saying he didn’t want children to be “subjected to the invasive privacy violations that this bill allows.”
Only two Democrats joined the Republican majority in voting in favor of the bill, Reps. Henry Cuellar, Democrat of Texas, and Vicente Gonzales, Democrat of Texas. Their decision to leave the rest of the party and vote to protect women and girls in sport reflects an increasingly widespread position of many voters in their party and independents, according to recent data.
A recent 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.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Hakeem Jeffries with trans flag background (Getty Images)
Shortly after the November elections, a national exit poll conducted by the legislative action committee Concerned Women for America (CWA) found that 70% of moderate voters saw a problem with “Donald Trump’s opposition to transgender boys and men playing girls’ and women’s sports and to boys and transgender men using girls’ and women’s sports.” bathrooms” as important to them.
And 6% said it was the most important question of all, while 44% said it was “very important.”
Francione is one of many longtime Democratic voters who believe his party’s lawmakers have failed to implement the will of their constituents on this issue.
“The progressives have failed!” he added. “Progressives have created a grievance Olympics…and it’s not working!”
