Rand Paul Called Out for Transphobic Questioning of Biden Nominee at Confirmation Hearing: ‘Bullying Makes Him Unfit to Serve’

Leia IdlibyFeb 25th, 2021, 3:35 pm
 

Sen. Rand Paul launched into what many have deemed a “transphobic rant” while questioning one of President Joe Biden’s health nominees, Dr. Rachel Levine  — the first transgender person to be nominated for a Senate-confirmed position.

“My career has been helping people live healthy lives,” Levine said to the Senate Thursday. “As the assistant secretary for health, I would be committed each day to helping the people of our nation and improving our public health. I am both humbled by the opportunity and ready for the job.”

Less than an hour into her hearing, Paul began questioning Levine regarding her stance on the “genital mutilation” of minors, while also pushing transphobic misinformation.

“Genital mutilation has been nearly universally condemned,” Paul said, adding, “Genital mutilation is considered particularly egregious because, as the WHO notes, it is nearly always carried out on minors and is a violation of the rights of children.”

He then claimed that “genital mutilation” is not often performed by force but is instead a product of the “social pressure to conform” and “do what others do.”

“American culture is now normalizing the idea that minors can be given hormones to prevent their biological development of their secondary sexual characteristics,” he added. “Dr. Levine, you have supported both allowing minors to be given hormone blockers to prevent them from going through puberty, as well as surgical destruction of a minor’s genitalia.”

“Dr. Levine, do you believe minors are capable of making such a life-changing decision as changing one’s sex?” Paul asked

Levine responded by explaining that transgender medicine is a “complex and nuanced field with robust research and standards of care” before offering to work directly with Paul’s office on the matter.

Unsatisfied with her answer, Paul asked Levine once again if she supports the “reconstruction of genitalia” and access to hormone blockers, bringing up Keira Bell, a British citizen whose sex was identified as female at birth before taking puberty blockers as a teenager.

Bell later de-transitioned as an adult and went on to sue the NHS, aiming to block transgender children from transitioning in the United Kingdom.

Paul claimed that Bell “read something about transsexuals” as a teenager, which encouraged them to transition before later regretting it. “Transsexual” is a term advocacy group GLAAD discourages, as “many transgender people do not identify as transsexual and prefer the word transgender.

Paul’s questioning was met with intense scrutiny — with many calling out his misinformation while others accused him of “bullying” and being “deliberately cynical and cruel.”

Watch above, via C-SPAN.

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