On Tuesday, an innocuous phrase used by Amy Coney Barrett in response to a question from Senator Dianne Feinstein got the outrage mob out in full force. When asked whether she would roll back protections for the LGBT community, Judge Barrett replied that she has “never discriminated on the basis of sexual preference and would not discriminate on the basis of sexual preference.” This sentence caused the outrage mob to come out in full force. “Barrett’s use of ‘sexual preference’ alarmed many viewers, myself included, for good reason,” explained Mark Joseph Stern of Slate. “The archaic phrase suggests that sexuality is a choice, that gay and bisexual people simply prefer to partner with people of the same sex—a preference that, with enough willpower, can be changed.”
A Google News search yields over 130,000 results for stories on Barrett’s use of the phrase. Right after the hearing, Merriam-Webster even changed the definition of “sexual preference” to declare it an offensive phrase.
While Barrett’s use of the phrase sparked outrage in the media, Joe Biden has, as of yet, remained unscathed by the media after he suggested that being transgender was a choice during his ABC town hall.
Joe Biden was asked by Mieke Haeck, the wife of a prominent Democrat official in Pennsylvania, for his position on transgender rights. “My youngest daughter is transgender. The Trump administration has attacked the rights of transgender people, banning them from military service, weakening nondiscrimination protections and even removing the word ‘transgender’ from some government websites,” Haeck began. “How will you as president reverse this dangerous and discriminatory agenda and ensure that the lives and rights of LGBTQ people are protected under U.S. law?”
“I will flat-out just change the law,” Biden replied. “Every—eliminate those executive orders, number one.”
After rambling for a couple of minutes, Biden added, “The idea that an eight-year-old child or a 10-year-old child decides, you know, ‘I decided I want to be transgender. That’s what I think I’d like to be. It’d make my life a lot easier.’ There should be zero discrimination.”
Asked by a mother of a transgender child about what he will do to protect LGBTQ rights, former VP Biden says: "I will flat out just change the law." https://t.co/JEyTOkB6qk #BidenTownHall pic.twitter.com/fxg7AhKwHG
— ABC News (@ABC) October 16, 2020
Did you catch that? “The idea that an eight-year-old child or a 10-year-old child decides you know, ‘I decided I want to be transgender. That’s what I think I’d like to be. It’d make my life a lot easier.’”
Now, let’s ignore the most disturbing thing about this reply—that Biden encouraged transgenderism for an eight-year-old child—and note that Biden unambiguously stated that being transgender is a decision—a choice to be made. Even people who don’t believe in transgenderism don’t argue it’s a choice, but a mental illness, and not the whim of free will.
The pro-LGBTQ crowd should be livid. The media should be pumping out stories about Biden’s offensive words.
But, a Google News search yields only 6 stories featuring the quote, none of which acknowledge that Joe Biden suggested four times in one sentence that being transgender is a preference, made out of convenience, as opposed to innate gender identity.
So, while Amy Coney Barrett got the media pile-on for using a phrase that has been used by everybody for decades, even Joe Biden and Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the left doesn’t seem to care about Joe Biden’s calling being transgender a choice.
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Matt Margolis is the author of the new book Airborne: How The Liberal Media Weaponized The Coronavirus Against Donald Trump, and the bestselling book The Worst President in History: The Legacy of Barack Obama. You can follow Matt on Twitter @MattMargolis
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