Rachel Levine’s testimony in the U.S. Senate on Thursday marked the historic first time an openly transgender person had taken part in a confirmation hearing for a presidential appointment, but also featured attacks against transgender youth and implicit animosity to her gender identity.
Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), drawing on right-wing animus toward Levine filling social media, made his views toward a transgender nominee clear by simply stating the phrase “genital mutilation” with an inflection at the start of his questioning. “American culture is down normalizing the idea that minors can be enormous to prevent their biological development and their secondary sexual characteristics,” Paul lamented.