Republican Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson emphasized Tuesday that most Americans are not on board with the gender ideology pushing biological men in women’s spaces.
The senator touched on the topic during a telephone town hall with citizens of Wisconsin on Tuesday amid controversy over swimmer Lia Thomas, a transgender woman, who raced with female athletes over the weekend during the NCAA Women’s Swimming Championships in Atlanta, Georgia.
“So first of all, I think most Americans agree with you in terms of the transgender issue,” Johnson said during the town hall to a father dismayed that biological men are increasingly allowed in women’s spaces and events.
“You shouldn’t allow biological males to compete against girls,” Johnson continued, noting that allowing biological men in women’s sports is disheartening to the girls competing.
“You shouldn’t allow biological males to be going into women’s bathrooms, it’s creepy,” he added. “It’s just not good.”
“I think most Americans agree with you there, there’s got to be a commonsense approach without discriminating, that type of thing, so everybody can live together in peace and harmony,” Johnson added. “So I think most people agree with you … It’s the left that keeps pushing these issues on us.”
The senator’s comments are backed by 2021 polling conducted by The Heritage Foundation, finding that 58% of Americans oppose allowing students to compete on sports teams that do not align with their biological sex, while 53% of Americans oppose allowing students to use showers or locker rooms that do not align with their biological sex.
Thomas competed Saturday evening in the 100 freestyle final, finishing in 8th place with a time of 48.18 seconds.