Joe Biden’s Education Secretary declared Thursday that he believes biological boys should be allowed to compete against girls in sports, and even accused his questioner, GOP Congressman Jim Banks, of wanting to exclude children by discussing their biological gender.
During a Congressional hearing, Banks questioned Cardona on the administration’s attitude toward “gender identity”.
Banks told Cardona that “Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex. However, your department is currently pushing a rule to force every school in America to add non binary as a sex characteristic.”
“How can the Department of Education enforce sex based discrimination when the very definition of sex is so unclear?” Banks asked.
“We’re not pushing for that. We are allowing states who have different categories to use those different categories of data collection that they’re already collecting,” Cardona claimed.
“So you’re not waiting for a rule to add non binary?” Banks further asked Cardona.
“We’re allowing states to report whatever classifications they have in their states,” Cardona responded.
Banks then moved to probe on the sports issue, asking “do you believe that biological male athletes competing in women’s sports are in conflict with Title IX protections for female athletes?”
After failing to properly answer the question, Banks doubled down, asking “Do you think it’s fair for biological boys to compete against girls in sports?”
Cardona responded “Sir, I see where your questions are going, and I’m going to be very clear with you — our transgender students need to feel supported, included, and seen,” adding “And, your line of questioning is, even by describing it the way you’re doing it, shows me that you don’t believe that all students should have access to the extracurricular activities that schools provide.”
Banks told Cardona that “somehow, somewhere you and this administration believe that Title IX somehow protects biological boys for competing against girls and sports. You’re okay with that.”
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The Congressman then asked Cardona three times if he agrees “that school districts should keep a child’s involvement in gender transition a secret from their parents?”
Cardona again did not properly answer the question, instead referring to such situations as “very sensitive.”
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Before he took up the position of Education Secretary, Cardona made it clear during his Senate confirmation hearing that he supports biological males competing against girls in sports.
“I think it’s critically important to respect the rights of all students, including students who are transgender, and that they are afforded the opportunities that every other student has to participate in extracurricular actives,” Cardona said at the time under questioning from Senator Rand Paul, who noted that such a development would “completely destroy girls athletics”.
Paul told Cardona “A lot of us think that that’s bizarre, you know? Not very fair,” adding “I think most people in the country think it’s bizarre. You know? That it’s just completely bizarre and unfair that people, and you’re gonna run the education? You’ve got no problem with it?”
“I mean, to think it’s okay that boys would compete with girls in a track meet, and that somehow would be fair,” the Kentucky senator continued, positing “I wonder where feminists are on this. I wonder where the people who supported women’s sports are on this.”
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Reporting from NewsWars.
