News
Rand Paul blasts letting transgender kids in school sports as ‘bizarre’
But Biden education pick holds firm on trans-inclusive access
Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), questioning President Biden’s pick for education secretary on Wednesday, lambasted the inclusion of transgender kids in school sports as “bizarre,” falsely claiming non-discrimination policies in education would amount to allowing boys to compete in girls’ athletics.
Paul brought up the issue with Education Secretary-designate Miguel Cardona during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Health, Education, Labor & Pensions Committee, decrying policies against anti-trans discrimination he said would put girls at a disadvantage.
“Frankly, some boy that’s 6’2″ competing against my 5’4″ niece doesn’t sound very fair,” Paul said. “I think most people in the country think it’s bizarre. It’s just completely bizarre and unfair that people, and you’re going to run the Department of Education, you’re going to run the Department of Education and got no problem with it. That concerns me.”
Paul was responding to the initial comment on the issue from Cardona, who sought to address Paul’s inquiry respectfully while insisting transgender kids should have full access to school activities.
“I recognize and appreciate the concerns and the frustrations that are expressed,” Cardona said. “I’ve as commissioner of education have had conversations with families who have felt the way you just described and families of students who are transgender, so I understand that this is a challenge.”
Pressed by Paul on whether it’s “fair to have boys running in the girls track meet,” Cardona held firm.
“I think it’s appropriate for — I think it’s the legal responsibility of schools to allow students to participate in activities and this includes students who are transgender,” Cardona said.
Paul, however, wasn’t satisfied and said “this kind of thing is going to lead to just the vast majority of Americans just wondering who are these people that think it’s OK.”
“From what planet are you from to think it’s OK for boys to compete with girls in a track meet and that somehow would be fair?” Paul said. “I wonder where feminists are on this. I wonder where the people who supported women’s sports are on this. Are we all going to be OK with hulking 6’4″ guys wrestling against girls? It just makes no sense whatsover. And so, I think the fact that you seem to be afraid to answer the question — or basically do answer the question by saying it’s OK without saying it’s OK is a statement to a real problem we have and a disconnect what Middle America and what most Americans actually believe.”
Just before concluding his time for questioning, Paul suggested Cardona’s response alone would be enough to vote “no” on him as education secretary.
“I’m disappointed in the answer and just can’t imagine we’re going to have a policy like that nationally,” Paul said.
The questioning comes the heels of an executive order Biden signed on his first day in office calling on federal agencies to implement the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Bostock v. Clayton County, which found anti-LGBTQ discrimination is a form of a sex discrimination. The text of the order includes language asserting children should have access to bathrooms, locker rooms and sports free from discrimination, signaling to the Department of Education should provide for trans-inclusion in schools.
Lucas Acosta, a spokesperson for the Human Rights Campaign, criticized Paul for his remarks in a statement as spreading misinformation harmful to transgender kids.
“Transgender girls are girls – plain and simple,” Acosta said. “There are thousands of issues facing students across the country during the pandemic, from reopening schools and restarting in-person learning to addressing and protecting the mental health of our children. Yet, despite all of those pressing crises, Sen. Rand Paul chose to exclusively use all of his allotted time to attack transgender children: misgendering, spewing misinformation, and insinuating malintent among children who are just seeking to participate in sports.”
Meanwhile, states are advancing legislation that would biological boys from competing with girls in schools sports, essentially attempting to block transgender kids from participating. Legislation along those lines has advanced in Montana, South Dakota and Mississippi.
District of Columbia
Mayor Bowser signs bill requiring insurers to cover PrEP
‘This is a win in the fight against HIV/AIDS’
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser on March 20 signed a bill approved by the D.C. Council that requires health insurance companies to cover the costs of HIV prevention or PrEP drugs for D.C. residents at risk for HIV infection.
Like all legislation approved by the Council and signed by the mayor, the bill, called the PrEP D.C. Amendment Act, was sent to Capitol Hill for a required 30-day congressional review period before it takes effect as D.C. law.
Gay D.C. Council member Zachary Parker (D-Ward 5) last year introduced the bill.
Insurance coverage for PrEP drugs has been provided through coverage standards included in the Affordable Care Act, known as Obamacare. But AIDS advocacy organizations have called on states and D.C. to pass their own legislation requiring insurance coverage of PrEP as a safeguard in case federal policies are weakened or removed by the Trump administration, which has already reduced federal funding for HIV/AIDS-related programs.
Like legislation passed by other states, the PrEP D.C. Amendment Act requires insurers to cover all PrEP drugs approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Studies have shown that PrEP drugs, which can be taken as pills or by injection just twice a year, are highly effective in preventing HIV infection.
“I think this is a win for our community,” Parker said after the D.C. Council voted unanimously to approve the bill on its first vote on the measure in February. “And this is a win in the fight against HIV/AIDS.”
Vice President JD Vance and his wife, second lady Usha Vance, will visit Hungary next week.
An announcement the White House released on Thursday said the Vances will be in Budapest, the Hungarian capital, from April 7-8.
JD Vance “will hold bilateral meetings with” Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. The announcement further indicates the vice president “will also deliver remarks on the rich partnership between the United States and Hungary.”
The Vances will travel to Hungary less than a week before the country’s parliamentary elections take place on April 12.
Orbán, who has been in office since 2010, and his Fidesz-KDNP coalition government have faced widespread criticism over its anti-LGBTQ crackdown.
The Associated Press notes polls indicate Orbán is trailing Péter Magyar and his center-right Tisza party.
President Donald Trump removed Attorney General Pam Bondi from her post Thursday, following growing criticism over how she and the Department of Justice handled a range of issues, including matters related to sex offender and Trump ally Jeffrey Epstein.
Trump announced Bondi’s removal on Truth Social, where he also said Todd Blanche will serve as acting head of the Justice Department.
“Pam Bondi is a great American patriot and a loyal friend, who faithfully served as my attorney general over the past year,” Trump wrote on the platform. “Pam did a tremendous job overseeing a massive crackdown on crime across our country, with murders plummeting to their lowest level since 1900.”
Trump was seen as recently as Wednesday with the now-former attorney general at a Supreme Court hearing on citizenship.
The decision contrasts with Trump’s previous public praise of Bondi, the 87th U.S. attorney general and former 37th attorney general of Florida, who served in that role from 2011-2019 before joining the Trump-Vance administration. He has frequently lauded her loyalty and said he speaks with her often. Bondi was also one of president’s defense lawyers during his first impeachment trial.
Privately, however, Trump had grown frustrated that Bondi was not “moving quickly enough” to prosecute critics and political adversaries he wanted to face criminal charges, according to multiple sources. The New York Times reported that her inability to charge former FBI Director James B. Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James with any crimes is a large factor in the president’s choice to fire her from the government’s primary law enforcement agency.
The move comes as Trump has sought to minimize public turmoil within his administration, avoiding the perception of a revolving-door Cabinet that defined his first term.
Lee Zeldin, a former Republican congressman from New York who unsuccessfully ran for governor, has emerged as a leading contender to lead the Justice Department. He has been one of Trump’s most reliable allies.
“He’s our secret weapon,” Trump said of Zeldin in February during a White House event promoting the coal industry, adding, “He’s getting those approvals done in record-setting time.”
Bondi has also growing faced scrutiny from Congress.
The House Oversight Committee recently subpoenaed her to testify about the department’s handling of certain files, where she declined to answer key questions during a contentious House Judiciary Committee hearing in February.
The Tampa native has a long history of opposing LGBTQ rights through her roles in government. As Florida attorney general, she fought against the legalization of same-sex marriage, arguing it would cause “serious public harm,” pushing forward a legal battle that cost taxpayers nearly half a million dollars. She also asked the Florida Supreme Court to overturn a lower court ruling that found the state’s same-sex marriage ban unconstitutional.
More recently, Bondi established a “Title IX Special Investigations Team” within the Justice Department focused on restricting transgender women and girls from participating in women’s and girls’ sports teams and accessing facilities aligned with their gender identity. She also told Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia to turn over the medical records of anyone under 19 who received gender-affirming care.
Her removal follows Trump’s decision last month to oust another controversial female Cabinet figure, Kristi Noem.
Mayor Bowser signs bill requiring insurers to cover PrEP
JD Vance to travel to Hungary next week
Pam Bondi ousted as attorney general
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