Florida Governor Ron DeSantis bashed transgender ideology this week, asserting that it poses an “existential threat to women.” DeSantis also expressed concerns about the impact of transgender ideology on societal values and truth.
DeSantis’ posted a video on Twitter Tuesday commenting on the hotly contested subject.
“A total fraud,” DeSantis said in the video. “I mean you have a swimmer that competes on the men’s team for three years at Penn and then switches to the women’s team and then wins the 500-yard freestyle national championship for women. When you’re a mediocre male swimmer and now you win the women’s, and so you had a second-place finisher, she was actually from Sarasota, she should have been the national champion.”
The governor was referring to transgender swimmer Lia Thomas, who competed for three years on the men’s team at the University of Pennsylvania before joining the women’s team. Thomas went on to win the 500-yard freestyle national championship for women, defeating female swimmer Emma Weyant.
DeSantis argued that Weyant, who hails from Sarasota, should have been the rightful national champion. He issued a proclamation from his office recognizing her as the best woman swimmer in the 500-yard race. “That swimmer was not the best women’s 500-yard champion, okay? The number two [swimmer] was the best woman, so that’s just the bottom line,” DeSantis said.
The governor emphasized the larger issue at stake, which is the importance of truth in society. He expressed concerns that accepting transgender ideology would force people to be complicit in a lie, undermining the foundation of truth upon which society is built.
“And so some of this is yes, it’s taking away opportunities, and athletics and some other stuff, and that’s really, really important,” DeSantis said.
DeSantis, who is 44 years old and a potential presidential candidate, asserted that transgender ideology jeopardizes not only opportunities in athletics but also the fabric of society. “I think there’s also just the issue of, are we going to be a society based on truth? Or are we going to be a society based on deceit?” he asked.
DeSantis’ comments reflect growing concerns about the implications of transgender ideology on women’s rights, sports, and societal values. Many argue that allowing transgender women to compete in women’s sports gives them an unfair advantage and undermines the achievements of biological females.
In the end it all comes down to what America defines as truth. Is it two genders, male and female (excluding sexual orientation), or is it a laundry list of genders?
DeSantis clearly believes it is time to stand on the truth.
“If you take a man and they dress up as a woman, and you tell me, I have to accept that they’re a woman, then you’re asking me to be complicit in a lie, and I just refuse to do that,” DeSantis said. “So we’ve got to tell the truth. I think the truth will set you free.”