Senator Rand Paul questions Rachel Levine about puberty blockers

So here's your new reality, adjust accordingly.

So, it's come to this. He's damned for being a right-wing Trumpian nutjob - and yet he speaks with a moral clarity and force that eludes vast swathes of the left.

If you didn't know this man's reputation you'd be applauding him.

What an absolute indictment of the state of left-wing politics that people who think of themselves as owning the moral high ground are now advocating for performing double mastectomies on healthy teenage girls. What an utter fucking disgrace.

What we can hope is that Biden is about bringing people together (now that he has got rid of Trump). Maybe, just maybe this can be a point of unity. Maybe there can be clarity to the ridiculous executive order he signed which lumped TRA in with the important issue of equality for gay men and lesbian women.

The issue is like a PP said, no one will listen to Rand Paul. He's a right wing Trumpist nutjob

What do I dislike about him - he's a massive Trump enabler and normally a complete moral coward.

What I fear, and I have already seen some Biden supporters or left supporters taking this position, is that he is such a discredited individual that this important issue gets discredited with him.

None of the TRA has queried why left wing activist feminists are against selfId. They are assuming GC feminists are in thrall to right wing alpha (or even beta) males all of a sudden. I'm sure the right wing are exploiting this for their own purposes but I don't care at this point.

But PamDenick I think it's easier to do that in the U.K..

I think America is SO polarised all ideas are black and white, left and right.

Sorry, to add.

It's the questions and language he used.

He used genital mutilation. He said amputation of women's breasts.

As a pp said, The questions are what need to be repeated.

The obfuscation of language is what's been a big issue.

Google Rand Paul right now though and you'll see the headlines that come up are largely critical and emotive ("anti trans rant", etc). The first ones up are from the Independent and Vox, which is exactly what you'd expect from them. This hysterical invective from the media does not help matters, as it makes it so difficult to stand up against the narrative.

Yes, it 's funny how such issues unite people from very different political factions:

I'm a softly softly liberal leftie public sector worker but am HUGELY gender critical. I have been called 'Terf' by members of my own family and it also opened up my eyes to how name calling or cancelling or no platforming does NOTHING to help in a debate.

The problem is that he's so rabidly right wing and a conspiracy nutjob that most people will just assume he's talking rubbish on this issue too. He has no credibility.

Ah, dammit.

Sorry, I see he's a republican. Hopefully more on the Biden side will listen.

That's the hardest issue America have.

I spoke to an American woman who is entirely gc, has read things like testosterone Rex etc, really gets 'it' and yet still finds ways to be sympathetic to trans and agree that "transgirl" school kids should be allowed to compete with girls. I think she lives in such a homophobic and racist area that she simply cannot align with any idea on the right.

Oh my goodness! I was thinking as he was talking, this is the Keira effect, then he specifically mentioned her!

She's such a shero.

And making the point about the left going nuts about that Covid snake oil but agreeing to mutilation of children?! He's amazing!

Is he in biden's party? I do hope so!

Yes! When did some politicians become so divorced from the truth? There's always been a lot of "doublespeak" in politics but now it seems acceptable to use outright fiction.

Any Senator voting for Dr Levine after that performance and the pointed questioning by RP will have no cover when this scandal blows. And for the safety and health of children, I hope it happens sooner rather than later.

The comments are sensible. Someone says "Can you imagine being beamed in from 2005 and watching this?" and I know what they mean. There's a horrible decadent insane feeling about it which makes me feel very pessimistic about our civilisation.

@WeeBisom so well said. I agree 100 percent.

I'm a lifelong Democrat...it PAINS me to see what has happened to our civil discourse.

I hate how this refusal to answer questions properly is treated like a partisan issue. It was really bad when Trumps press secretary just refused to answer a question. It was bad when the Republicans pick for the Supreme Court straight up said “I can’t answer any question involving hypotheticals” when asked how she would decide certain cases. This evasive nonsense is clearly bad because it avoids political accountability. But I really wish the American left would not celebrate when their side does it too! It’s infuriating because democracy is diminished when people in power refuse to answer questions. A couple of weeks ago Bidens press secretary was celebrated for saying she “didn’t understand” a perfectly clear question about the impact of males in women’s sport. This behaviour should be called out and condemned whether it comes from the left or the right. Levine comes across as evasive as Barrett in this video.

I'm definitely not defending the lack of critical thought, but part of the reason they're reacting like this is that it's Rand Paul saying it. The problem is that he's so rabidly right wing and a conspiracy nutjob that most people will just assume he's talking rubbish on this issue too. He has no credibility.

The reasoning from the other side is the same, that's the underlying problem. Those who see themselves as on the right/conservative simply won't take anything from those they see as liberal/left seriously because of stuff like this from people like Biden.

The comments under the video are sensible!

Same. I don’t care who says it as long as it’s said.

It’s not surprising the conspiracy theorists are looking at this issue - in a way it’s brilliant that people are going against the grain and challenging everything (I mean obviously sometimes they get it wrong). But The ‘science’ being pushed in this is so leaky it’s only going to spread distrust and fuel further conspiracy theory.

Levine is a paediatrician ffs. This is their specialty. Soon to be a senior health official during a pandemic. I mean... (insert rant here. I don’t want to get a deletion)

I have no idea who Rand Paul is, but I don't see how anyone could watch that video and think he was anything but utterly reasonable and correct, and that Rachel Levine was anything but evasive and uncaring

Same here. His frustration at Levine's lame irrelevant statement was obvious. Levine is a disgrace, as is Biden.

I'm about as left-wing (US) as they come, but here I am agreeing with Rand Paul, of all people. To me, the recent election was all about getting rid of Trump. Now it's time to get rid of men still telling women what to do, how to feel, and what to think. In a way, I'm glad it's happening so soon and openly. Rake it up, hash it over, and put it to rest. I hope.

I can't bear Rand Paul, but he is brilliant in that clip.

Yes it's a huge problem - no on the "left" will say anything on this subject apart from TWAW and screech transphobia at anyone who speaks out.