Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Trans Activist Has Mic Drop Response To Right-Winger's Call To 'Eradicate' 'Transgenderism'

A split image with journalist Ari Drennan on the right and conservative political commentator Michael Knowles on the right
Ari Drennan/Twitter & CPAC

'Media Matters' Ari Drennen responded to Michael Knowles' anti-trans screed at CPAC in which he said 'transgenderism must be eradicated.'

During this year's Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), Daily Wire commentator Michael Knowles called for the "eradication" of "transgenderism" during a speech at the conference on Saturday.

This is far from the only time that Knowles has called for "transgenderism" to be stamped out, but it is notable that he did so in front of such a large audience.


During his speech, he said:

"transgenderism must be eradicated from public life entirely. The whole preposterous ideology, at every level."

For obvious reasons, many consider Knowles' rhetoric here to be genocidal in nature, calling for the "eradication" of an entire group of people. Knowles had an argument ready for those, however, as he said on his show:

"I don’t know how you could have a genocide of transgender people because genocide refers to genes, it refers to genetics, it refers to biology. And the whole point of transgenderism is that it has nothing to do with biology."

Knowles also felt the need to clarify that he thinks that being trans is "not a legitimate category of being."

"Nobody’s calling to exterminate anybody because the other problem with that statement is that transgender people is not a real ontological category. It’s not a legitimate category of being."

Media Matters' Ari Drennen had a direct rebuttal for Knowles' harmful and baseless rhetoric, which she shared via TikTok and Twitter.

Drennen started the video with a bit of backstory explaining the situation.

"Daily Wire host Michael Knowles went viral over the weekend for a speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference that repeated his previous remarks."

The video then shows a clip of Knowles' speech at CPAC and his statement that "transgenderism must be eradicated from public life entirely."

Drennen then continued, next talking about Knowles' attempts to prevent news outlets from accurately talking about his comments.

"Members of the Republican Party, including Senator Mike Lee, were quick to defend Knowles — arguing that the speech was a call to eliminate an ideology rather than a group of people."
"Threats of lawsuits from The Daily Wire forced several news outlets including Rolling Stone, The Daily Beast, and The Huffington Post to adjust their headlines to accommodate Knowles' argument."

Drennen had some criticism for news outlets too.

"And giving in to the threat of a lawsuit here is more than just cowardly, it helps anti-trans bigots reduce the very existence of our community to a matter of ideological disagreement."

She went on to clarify the real goal of those spouting anti-trans rhetoric like Knowles':

"Make no mistake: All of this quibbling is a ridiculous smokescreen meant to obscure the fact that the Republican Party's agenda for America is a country where nobody is openly trans."
"This isn't about protecting children, or sports, or detransitioners, or trans people. It is about forcing every single one of us into hiding or worse."
"We represent a complication in the world that authoritarian minds cannot handle."
"If Knowles had instead called for the eradication of Judaism, or Mormonism, or Catholicism, or any other small population within the United States, nobody would pretend that they did not understand what he meant by it.

Drennen ended with a simple statement of fact:

"So let me make one thing clear: You will never eradicate transgenderism. You will never eradicate trans people. We are sand between your fingers."
"We will forge our own identification, brew our own hormones, choose our own names."
"We were here long before you were born. And long after you have departed this earth, an angry failure, we will remain — living our own lives and telling our own stories."


The reaction to Drennen's video was incredibly positive, with the exception of a few trolls, in stark contrast to the general reactions to Knowles' statements.



Knowles is far from the only person on the right calling for the curtailing of LGBTQ+ rights. Multiple states have recently passed laws limiting rights for transgender people to access gender-affirming care or even just to exist in public as openly transgender people.

More from News/lgbtq

Jesse Watters
Fox News

Jesse Watters Dragged After Adding Another Mind-Boggling Rule For 'Real Men'

Fox News host Jesse Watters, who is apparently an authority of what it means to be a manly man, gave jazz hands to make a point about how "real men" should or shouldn't wave.

The target of his ridicule was Tim Walz, the enthusiastic Democratic Minnesota governor and vice presidential candidate who often greets the public by raising both hands in the air to wave.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots of crowd at town hall and Rep. Mike Flood
@MorePerfectUS/X; KETV NewsWatch 7

GOP Rep. Goes Viral For His Response To Crowd Chanting 'Tax The Rich' At Town Hall

Nebraska Republican Representative Mike Flood was criticized following his incredulous response to a crowd that chanted "Tax the rich!" during a town hall meeting.

The Columbus High School auditorium hosted the town hall on Tuesday evening, drawing "nearly 380" attendees, according to local network KETV Omaha. The event was lively, with Flood facing both sharp criticism over Trump administration policies and some appreciation for showing up in person.

Keep ReadingShow less
Elon Musk
Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

Awkward Typo In Elon Musk's Bizarre 'Education Department' Trump Meme Is A Total Self-Own

Billionaire Elon Musk was widely mocked after he celebrated President Donald Trump's executive order to begin to dismantle the Department of Education (DOE) by posting a meme of Trump at the department's grave, only for an awkward misspelling to get all the attention.

Polling indicates that eliminating the Education Department is largely unpopular, with 60% of registered voters opposing the move, according to a Quinnipiac University survey conducted March 6-10. Support stands at 33%, with opposition particularly strong among Democrats—98% oppose it, while just 1% support it.

Keep ReadingShow less
JB Pritzker; Donald Trump
Jacek Boczarski/Anadolu via Getty Images; Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Dem Governor Reveals Trump's Bonkers Demand In Exchange For Equipment During COVID

Illinois Democratic Governor J.B. Pritzker revealed during a speech this week that he clashed with President Donald Trump during the first Trump administration after Trump promised necessary medical equipment during the COVID pandemic on the condition that Pritzker praise him publicly.

Five years ago, the United States was grappling with the initial impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. The country had entered shutdowns that had severe economic consequences, leaving businesses and industries on the brink of collapse.

Keep ReadingShow less
Scrabble tiles spelling the word scam
Scam spelled with scrabbles on a wooden table

People Break Down How They Realized An Entire Industry Was A Total Scam

We unfortunately live in a world where scams are on the rise.

Thankfully, some of them are pretty easy to detect, such as an automated call from the IRS telling you a warrant is out for your arrest, or an email claiming to be from Amazon or the USPS asking for your credit card information, only to look closer and see the email address is a yahoo account.

Keep ReadingShow less