In a heated debate on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy schooled host Chuck Todd of whether gender is binary and the laws age for parents to seek sex-reassignment surgery for their children.
Ramaswamy took a hard stance on reasonableness of requiring individuals to be 18 years old before making life-altering decisions.
“There isn’t a state in this union that allows you to smoke an addictive cigarette before the age of 18, that allows you to get a tattoo before the age of 18. That’s a body-altering change that a kid may later regret in life,” Ramaswamy.
“So, I think it is perfectly reasonable to say that if you’re after 18 years old, you’re free to decide whatever you want to do. That’s what it means to live in a free country,” Ramaswamy continued.
“But below the age of 18, I think it’s perfectly legitimate to say that we won’t allow genital mutilation or chemical castration through puberty blockers,” Ramaswamy said.
Ramaswamy later tweeted, “’Affirming’ a kid’s confusion isn’t compassion. It’s cruelty. If you can’t get a tattoo by age 18, you shouldn’t be able to get puberty blockers, ‘gender-affirming’ surgery or chemical castration before age 18 either.”
Todd then questioned Ramaswamy’s certainty on gender being binary.
“Are you confident that you know that gender is as binary as you’re describing it,” Todd asked. “Are you confident that it isn’t a spectrum?”
Ramaswamy held fast to his conviction but that was not sufficient for Todd.
Todd asked, “Do you know this as a scientist?”
Ramaswamy, undeterred, cited accepted biology as evidence of binary gender.
“Well, there’s two X chromosomes if you’re a woman, and an X and a Y, that means you’re a man,” Ramaswamy said.
Todd fired back, “There is a lot of scientific research that says gender is a spectrum.”
Ramaswamy respectfully disagreed.
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The Republican candidate then referred to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5), published in 2013. “Gender dysphoria for most of our history all the way through the DSM-5 has been characterized as a mental health disorder,” Ramaswamy said.
He argued that affirming gender dysphoria is not compassionate but rather cruel when a child is seeking help. Ramaswamy emphasized the importance of addressing underlying issues at home or school.
“Let’s be compassionate and get to the heart of that rather than playing this game as though we’re actually changing our medical understanding for the last 100 years,” Ramaswamy said.
Todd suggested that parents would consider sex-reassignment surgery as a last resort for their children, but Ramaswamy remained firm in his position.
He later tweeted, “If you have XX chromosomes, you’re a woman. If you have XY chromosomes, you’re a man. That’s the scientific truth,” and added, “Facts are a wonderful thing,” referring to the on-air debate.