Law Professor accuses Josh Hawley of transphobic questioning
Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) was criticized by a law professor of transphobia during a hearing on the legal ramifications of the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade on Tuesday.
In light of the Supreme Court’s recent decision, which overturned the 1973 landmark ruling that had made access to abortion a federal constitutional right, some progressives have begun using the term “pregnant people” — as opposed to “women” — to refer to those whose right to abortion they seek to protect.
“You refer to ‘people with a capacity for pregnancy.’ Would that be women?” Hawley asked UC Berkeley School of Law professor Khiara Bridges this during their heated argument before the Senate Judiciary Committee.
“Many women, cis women, have the capacity for pregnancy, many cis women do not have the capacity for pregnancy,” Bridges replied. “There are also trans men who are capable of pregnancy, as well as non-binary people who are capable of pregnancy.”
Hawley questioned Bridges on what he thought “the core of this right, then, is about,” and Bridges responded by calling Hawley’s line of inquiry “transphobic” for implying that trans men and non-binary individuals do not exist.
Bridges told the senator, “I want to recognise that your line of questioning is transphobic and it opens up trans people to violence by not recognising them,” to which the senator answered with incredulity.
Hawley’s attention to the inclusive language is timely, as both abortion rights and trans rights have been political flashpoints across the country, with Republican state lawmakers adopting a wave of restrictive bills on both fronts in recent months and years.
Further, Bridges stated, “Denying that trans people exist and pretending not to know that they exist is dangerous.”
She put it to the senator straight: “Do you think men can get pregnant?”
Professor: “No, I don’t think men can get pregnant,” to which Hawley replied, “So you’re 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 asked.
“We have a good time in my class,” Bridges shot back. “You should join. You might learn a lot.”