Social issues

This blog is originally appeared at LGBTQ Nation.

He claimed that his experience delivering babies proves that transgender people don’t actually exist, though his argument remains unclear.

Washington, D.C. — Senator Roger Marshall (R-Kansas) questioned Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas at a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing focused on the President’s proposed budget request for the Department of Homeland Security for fiscal year 2025. The hearing examined resources and authorities requested to protect the homeland.

This week, Sen. Marshall introduced the “Defining Male and Female Act of 2024,” a bill aimed at legally erasing the recognition of transgender individuals. Marshall argued that the bill is a response to what he describes as the Biden administration’s effort to “replace biological sex with dangerous radical gender ideology.”

The proposed legislation consists largely of definitions, with terms like “father” and “girl” now explicitly tied to the words “male” and “female.” Under the bill, “male” and “female” are defined as individuals who “naturally have, had, will have, or would have, but for a congenital anomaly or intentional or unintentional disruption, the reproductive system that at some point produces, transports and utilizes sperm or eggs for fertilization.”

Marshall claims the bill would prevent transgender individuals from participating in school sports and ensure “sex separation” in spaces like restrooms, locker rooms, dorms, prisons, and shelters for victims of sexual assault.

“As a physician who has delivered over 5,000 babies, I can confidently say that politicizing children’s gender and using them as pawns in a radical woke agenda is not only wrong, it is extremely dangerous,” Marshall said. However, his experience as a former OB/GYN does not make him an expert on transgender issues. “We must codify the legal definition of sex based on science, not feelings. With this legislation, we can fight back against the Biden-Harris Administration’s assault on our children.”

Marshall’s assertion that the Biden administration is behind the existence of transgender people is inaccurate; transgender individuals have existed long before Biden’s presidency and will continue to exist long after it. Transgender people are not an “ideology”; they are human beings.

A similar bill was introduced in July in the House of Representatives by Rep. Mary Miller (R-IL), who also claimed her bill would prevent Title IX protections from applying to transgender people. However, the argument that transgender individuals are not protected by Title IX hinges on the notion that discrimination based on gender identity is discrimination based on sex assigned at birth. In other words, if a school allows cisgender girls to compete on a sports team but excludes transgender girls, this constitutes discrimination based on sex, as the only difference between the two groups is their sex assigned at birth. Title IX bans sex-based discrimination in education.

While Marshall’s bill is unlikely to pass in the current Senate controlled by Democrats, its introduction could signal plans to reintroduce it next session when Republicans are projected to regain control of the chamber.

This blog originally appeared at Advocate.

During the traffic stop, an officer documented that Republican state Rep. Nico Rios became “verbally abusive, displaying homophobic, racially discriminatory behavior.

Recently, North Dakota state Rep. Nico Rios, a member of the Republican party, was arrested for DUI, and during the arrest, he reportedly made homophobic and xenophobic comments to the police.

On December 15, authorities arrested Nico Rios and issued citations for DUI, DUI refusal, and an open container, according to a Williston Police Department report.

The representative was pulled over around 11:30 p.m. after reportedly swerving between lanes, as stated in the report.

The police officers who initiated the stop then administered a Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus test, Walk and Turn test, and One-Leg-Stand test. During these tests, Rios allegedly exhibited “slurred speech and difficulty constructing sentences,” as outlined in the report.

In the report, one of the police officers noted that during the testing, Rios became.

An officer reported that Rios became “verbally abusive, homophobic, racially abusive, and discriminatory” during the tests, leading to his arrest when he refused to undergo a screening test.

“Irrespective of my state of inebriation, my conduct and words toward law enforcement that night were entirely unacceptable,” Rios stated in a comment to CNN. “Just two officers doing their job to keep the community safe when they encountered me on a night when I chose to act foolishly. They did nothing to warrant any form of disrespect. I owe it to myself, my district, and everyone, and I vow to ensure this never happens again.”

In the body camera footage released of the incident, Rios can be seen making the remarks while being transported to jail.

At the traffic stop, Rios can be heard using a homophobic slur and asking the officer about his accent. The officer responds that he is originally from England.

“You’re arresting me for driving home while people come into your country and rape your women? And I’m the bad guy?” Rios says after mentioning that the U.K. is being “taken over” by migrants.

Rios stated to the Associated Press that he was leaving a Christmas party before he was stopped and has “only received support from my colleagues, although a few have yelled at me, for sure I deserved it.”

The legislator was elected last year and currently serves on the House Judiciary Committee, a panel overseeing legislation related to law enforcement.

“Moving forward after this incident, I want to emphasize my complete and total commitment to supporting law enforcement,” Rios stated. “I messed up big time, and I am truly sorry.”

Republican House Majority Leader Mike Lefor stated to the AP that he hadn’t watched the video but had heard sufficient details about it.

He mentioned that he is assessing the available options and plans to have a discussion with Rios before providing further comments on the incident. Lefor didn’t disclose whether he had already requested Rios’s resignation.

“We are profoundly concerned about Rep. Rios’ reckless choice to drive under the influence and his comments to law enforcement officers,” stated North Dakota Republican Party Chairwoman Sandi Sanford in a text message to the news wire. “His actions do not reflect the values of the NDGOP.”

Rios is scheduled for a pretrial conference in municipal court on February 5th.