Woke Berkeley law professor brands Sen. Josh Hawley ‘transphobic’ for saying only women can get pregnant and claims he’s encouraging violence against trans people in fiery exchange on abortion rights
- ‘You’ve referred to ‘people with a capacity for pregnancy.’ Would that be women?’ Hawley asked
- ‘Many women, cis women, have the capacity for pregnancy. Many cis women do not have the capacity for pregnancy. There are also trans men,’ professor said
- ‘I want to recognize that your line of questioning is transphobic. And it opens up trans people to violence by not recognizing them,’ Professor Khiara Bridges said
Berkeley Law Professor Khiara Bridges accused Sen. Josh Hawley of ‘opening up trans people to violence’ after the Missouri Republican pressed her to say that only women could get pregnant in a heated squabble during a Senate committee hearing Tuesday.
‘You’ve used a phrase I want to make sure I understand what you mean by it. You’ve referred to ‘people with a capacity for pregnancy.’ Would that be women?’ Hawley asked during a Senate Judiciary Committee on abortion rights.
‘Many women, cis women, have the capacity for pregnancy. Many cis women do not have the capacity for pregnancy. There are also trans men who are capable of pregnancy as well as non-binary people who are capable of pregnancy,’ Bridges told the senator.
The back and forth is part of a recent pushback by conservatives against a switch to gender-neutral language like ‘birthing parent,’ as many point out that liberals have framed the overturning of Roe v. Wade as a women’s rights issue.
‘So this isn’t really a women’s rights issue, is it?’ Hawley said. Bridges said that it was not ‘mutually exclusive,’ and one could recognize that abortion affects women and other groups.
‘You’ve used a phrase I want to make sure I understand what you mean by it. You’ve referred to ‘people with a capacity for pregnancy.’ Would that be women?’ Hawley said during a Senate Judiciary Committee on abortion rights
‘Many women, cis women, have the capacity for pregnancy. Many cis women do not have the capacity for pregnancy. There are also trans men who are capable of pregnancy as well as non-binary people who are capable of pregnancy,’ Berkeley Law Professor Khiara Bridges told the senator
‘Your view, the core of this right is about what?’ Hawley pressed.
‘I want to recognize that your line of questioning is transphobic. And it opens up trans people to violence by not recognizing them,’ Bridges said.
‘Wow, you’re saying that I’m opening up people to violence by asking whether or not women are the folks who are gonna have pregnancies?’ he shot back.
Bridges then noted that one in five trans people attempt suicide at some point in their life. ‘Because of my line of questioning? So we can’t talk about it?’ Hawley asked.
‘Because we can’t talk about it because denying that trans people exist and pretending not to know that they exist–‘ Bridges said. ‘–So I’m denying that trans people exist?’ Hawley asked.
‘Are you? Are you?’ Bridges asked, growing more visibly irritated. ‘So you believe that men can get pregnant?’
‘No I don’t think that,’ Hawley said. Bridges chuckled, ‘So you are denying that trans people exist.’
‘Is this how you run your classroom? Are students allowed to question you, or are they also treated like this?’ Hawley said.
‘We have a good time in my class. You should join,’ she said. ‘You would learn a lot.’
The line of questioning called to mind a viral moment in Ketanji Brown Jackson’s confirmation hearing for the Supreme Court.
‘Can you define the word ”woman”?’ Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., said in a March 23 hearing.
‘Can I provide a definition?’ Jackson responded.
‘No, I can’t,’ she declared, before adding: ‘I’m not a biologist.’
Meanwhile Bridges, in her opening statement, also claimed that overturning Roe would lead to ‘racial injury.’
‘I am here today to explain how the U.S. Supreme Court’s radical decision … to take away constitutional protection for reproductive freedom inflicts a racial injury,’ she said.
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