A video is going viral on TikTok of University of California, Berkeley law professor Khiara Bridges roasting United States Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) for his transphobia, and we’re here for it.
“Many women, cis women have the capacity for pregnancy, many cis women do not have the capacity for pregnancy. There are trans men who are capable of pregnancy as well as nonbinary people who are capable of pregnancy,” she said in response to Hawley asking if the phrase “people with the capacity for pregnancy” refers to women.
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Hawley tried to say that “this isn’t a women’s rights issue,” which prompted an immediate response from Bridges. She said, “We can recognize that this impacts women while also recognizing that it impacts other groups. Those are not mutually exclusive.”
The clip comes from a 2022 hearing in response to the overturning of Roe v. Wade with the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, where Congress was evaluating the legal consequences of the decision. Bridges was one of many individuals who showed up to attest in favor of abortion rights.
Hawley asked what her view of the “core of this” is, to which Bridges called out his line of questioning as transphobic. “It opens up to trans people to violence,” she said before being cut off by Hawley giving a sarcastic remark asking how it opens trans people up to violence.
Bridges pointed out how his rhetoric contributes to a climate that leads to high suicide rates among trans people. She said that he was denying trans people exist, to which he cut her off to repeat her question back to her. She asked if he think men can get pregnant, to which he said “no.”
“And you’re denying that trans people exist, see?”
“Is this how you run your classroom,” Hawley retorted. “Are students allowed to question you or are they also treated like this?”
“Absolutely,” she replied. “We have a good time in my classroom. You should join, you could learn a lot.”
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