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July 2, 2021 (American Thinker) – Democrats have surrendered to their lunatic left faction on defunding the police and transgenderism. It has begun to sink in that as crime explodes in big cities, weakening the police will cost them dearly in votes — so much so that Jen Psaki, with a straight face, claimed the other day that it is Republicans who are defunding the police by voting against the massive COVID bailout bill that contained not one word about policing, but which did hand cash to local governments.
But on transgenderism, the party of science™ remains wedded to the fantasy the merely wishing it to be so can alter one's sex, so teen males should be allowed into girls' bathrooms and locker rooms, or to compete in school sports all the way to the Olympics. (Interestingly, I have seen no signs of forcing males into the WNBA or onto the U.S. Soccer Team, where Megan Rapinoe grumbles about lower pay.)
Such polling as exists shows that strong majorities of Americans disagree with transgender sports participation. Gallup reports that 62% of Americans want people to play on the teams of their sex, with 34% supporting “gender identity” as the factor in choosing which competition an athlete should join. That's not quite two to one, but it is close. And this is after several years' worth of pervasive media and activist propaganda pushing transgenderism.
That political reality means nothing to fanatics who are driven by hate. And that's how to understand what unfolded on the floor of the Ohio state House of Representatives' legislative chamber Tuesday, when Rep. Jena Powell introduced legislation banning males from competing in girls' sports. A number of Dems pounded on their desks and yelled in an attempt to disrupt the bill's introduction.
Two tweets show different views of the state Senate as the bill was introduced:
Disgraceful behavior from Rep. Michael Skindell at the Ohio House yesterday as Rep. Jena Powell tried to speak. pic.twitter.com/zp8aPsxiyg
— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) June 29, 2021
It didn't work:
An amendment to protect women's sports in the Ohio House succeeded with a 54-40 vote.
Joshua Arnold of the Family Research Council describes the disgrace at the state capitol:
As State Rep. Powell began, “across our country, female athletes are currently losing scholarships, opportunities, medals, and training opportunities,” Democrats began banging on desks. One man repeatedly screamed, “point of order.” Powell courageously pushed through to offer the amendment despite Democrats' rude interjections. The amendment succeeded in a 54-40 vote, and the Ohio House voted 57-36 to pass Senate Bill 187 through to the Senate.
“In the two and a half years that I've been in the legislature, that was probably one of the worst outcries that we've seen. It's very rare to have something like that on the Ohio House floor,” Powell said. “I can't speak for the Democrats, but I know many of the Republicans thought it was completely out of turn.”
Since pre-colonial times, deliberative bodies like the Ohio House have followed basic procedures that ensure everyone gets a turn to speak. “When the Democrats speak and we disagree with them, we allow them to speak, and then you have the ability to do rebuttal on the floor. Instead, he had a childish outburst and continued doing so until the speaker cut him off,” said Powell.
Powell surmised “the Left gets frustrated” and so they “speak out in ways that are very inappropriate.” Even where they are dominant, it seems the Left gets frustrated by the mere fact that their opponents have freedom of speech. That's why, through controlling definitions, censoring speech platforms, and cancelling individuals, the Left is trying to vigorously curtail conservatives' freedom of speech.
I think bullying and trying to force people to accept their sisters, daughters, and female friends competing with males will backfire. It's an ugly tactic in support of insanity. Feminist female athletes see their own status threatened, and they are for the most part creatures of the left. The whole transgenderism craze has been a top-down phenomenon, with institutions dominated by the left — corporations, schools and universities, and the media — pushing it. They may bully many people into silence, but so long as voting is private, and if the vote-counters are honest (I know, I know), this commitment to madness will hurt Democrats. Blinded by the lack of critical feedback due to their institutional dominance, they will persist in their folly.
Published with permission from the American Thinker.