BONUS POD: Democrats Double Down on Trans Athletes Ahead of Midterms

This is an I-Heart podcast. Guaranteed Human. Zohran Mamdani and Bobdani said in an interview this week that he was open to being the poster child for socialist candidates. Are you worried about more socialist candidates across the United States? Well, I think it can be a threat to our nation, actually. Because it's not socialism, it's really communism. They use the word social Democrat because it sounds so nice. It's really communism you're talking about. I think it's the biggest threat to our nation. There is, maybe since our founding. I think this is the biggest threat to our nation. People will smile when I say that, but the smart people are going to say, you know, he's probably right. You're listening to the 47 morning update with Ben Ferguson. Good Thursday morning. Nice to have you with us on the 47 morning update, and we've got one big story for you. The Supreme Court may have ruled to protect women's sports, but now we're finding out what Democrats plan to do next, and it's going to be central to their midterm election strategy. Get ready for another fight. All right, I want to take a moment and I want to talk to you about a company that I use every day. It's called Patriot Mobile. And so many brands today claim to stand for American values, but most of the time, well, it's all talk and it's no action. That's why Patriot Mobile is different. For more than 12 years, Patriot Mobile has been living their values and standing in the gap for every American who believes freedom is worth fighting for. Their business was founded on a simple conviction. If culture is being shaped through commerce, Americans deserve a real conservative alternative. Now, today, Patriot Mobile is America's only Christian conservative wireless provider. And what they offer is premium priority nationwide service on any of the three major U.S. networks. You get unlimited data plans, international roaming, and a 100% U.S.-based customer support team. And with Patriot Mobile, you can even have two separate networks on one phone. That gives you unmatched coverage and peace of mind you can't get with the other carriers. Now, besides the great tech, what truly sets Patriot Mobile apart is their mission. Every year, Patriot Mobile contributes millions. Let me say that again, millions of dollars to organizations defending free speech, religious liberty, the sanctity of life, the Second Amendment. and America's future. Patriot Mobile isn't sitting on the sidelines. They're on the front lines fighting for our freedoms. And every time you pay your bill, that's what you're supporting. Go to patriotmobile.com slash Ben 47. Or call 97 to Patriot. Use the promo code Ben 47. You'll get a free month of service. That's patriot mobile.com slash Ben 47. or call 972 Patriot today. It's a 47 morning update, and it starts right now. Story number one. The Supreme Court, they may have settled one legal question, but politically, we're now seeing exactly what the Democrats are ready to do when it comes to allowing men.

in women's sports. Now, the Supreme Court ruled that states like Idaho and West Virginia can, in fact, enforce laws preventing transgender girls from competing in girls' sports. And Democrats, well, they immediately began making it clear. They've got no intention of backing down. Instead, now they're preparing to make it one of their main defining issues heading into the midterm election cycle. J.J.B. Pritzker saying this on CNN about the ruling. Supreme Court also today allowed states to ban transgender athletes from joining women's and girls teams. Do you think the court was right on that or do you think they were wrong? Well, look, we... believe that people have a right to live the life that they're born to, the life that they want to. And in Illinois, anyway, we protect LGBTQ plus rights, we protect trans kids. Remember, in Illinois, trans athletes, we literally in high school have three. trans athletes. We have 133,000 athletes in total in our high schools, and three of them are trans. Why is the Republican Party focusing on this issue? Why have they passed laws in, I think, 27 states that have restricted or banned outright trans kids being athletes in schools? It seems to me like, you know, they're just, again, they're trying to foment on an issue that Frankly, I think we ought to be talking about bigger things. I know in the state of Illinois, we have much bigger challenges as they do all across the country with things like they've cut SNAP benefits, they've cut Medicaid, they've made life harder for people raised prices. These are all things that we're having to deal with in our states, and they're trying to distract with something that has very little impact. Now, to be clear, J.D. J.B. Pritzker is saying that somehow Republicans are the ones that did this, even though it was Democrats that were allowing boys in women's sports. Then he says it's nothing but a distraction, and he wasn't done there. He also, again, laying the groundwork for what Democrats truly believe in, and that is destroying women in the games that they play and the scholarships that they receive and the awards they receive. Republicans are using it and political campaigns, political messaging. On the issue itself, do you think the court was right? I think that we ought to be protecting trans kids. So you think they were wrong? I can tell you this, that those trans kids, you know, the, I'm sure you've seen the statistics that depression and other mental health challenges are following these kids because of the way they're being treated in some communities. We ought to be... sympathizing with the parents. We ought to be trying to help them, help their children, and not putting barriers in the way of children just being kids. Yeah, and Brett Kavanaugh was writing that he doesn't think that transgender athletes should be vilified or ostracized. When you look at the numbers, though, there was a Reuters Ipsos poll that found that 67% of Americans agree with the transgender athlete ban.

Do you find yourself in agreement with those 67% of Americans? I think that, first of all, this is a decision that gets made by a family, that's a decision that's been handled by schools and school districts for a number of years now. I think we ought to let it happen at the local level, as it has been. The three in Illinois have been just fine. Isn't it interesting how Democrats use this issue and pushed this issue and demanded this issue and now they're trying to downplay it while also making it a very clear central point going into the midterms? Now for Republicans, this decision represents years of, well, campaigning and fighting and finally it paid off. Donald Trump made protecting women's sports a signature issue. Because of people like J.B. Pritzker. Now, let's be clear. When Donald Trump was running, he said, not only am I going to sign executive actions, not only am I going to pressure athletic organizations, but I'm also going to make the logical argument that biological women deserve a level playing field. More than half the states, and you heard J.B. talk about this just a second ago. More than half of the country has already passed laws that were then... up for grabs with the Supreme Court, banning men from competing in women's sports. Now, the political battle is now going to move to the campaign trail. Democratic leaders and... activist organizations. They're already out there arguing and targeting the very small number they say of transgender student athletes. Well, it is discrimination. And the treatment of transgender youth is terrible, even though this law and the Supreme Court ruling has nothing to do with how you actually treat a person. They're also promising to continue the legal challenges everywhere they can. Now, support of the ruling is also, well, very different. Many conservatives say this is a victory for common sense because you should absolutely protect women's sports. There should be fairness in athletics. And they point to all of the scholarships, what President Trump did well. The roster spots, the championships, the athletic record books that are changed when a man competes with women. And biological differences, it matters in competitive sports. And that's exactly why this made it all the way to the Supreme Court. But to be clear, what Democrats are now going to do is they're going to say that you've dehumanized trans athletes. If you want to start a trans league, you can absolutely do it. No one is stopping you. Yes, trans athletes can compete. But women should not be forced to compete with men.

Now, I want to take you back to some of the arguments that were made. The first case, I was there for those oral arguments dealt with Idaho. And I want you to hear the back and forth of what actually happened and why the court got to the decision they have right now. You'll cut this part up. Idaho's law classifies on the basis of sex because sex is what matters in sports. It correlates strongly with countless athletic advantages like size, muscle mass, bone mass, and heart and lung capacity. Tragically, but not surprisingly, male athletes have even injured female athletes in many sports. If women don't have their own competitions, they won't be able to compete. And I don't know how you can say sex classification is not being challenged. There's no question here that a male who identifies as a female, but it's a male, is being excluded from a female sport, correct? That's correct. All right? By its nature, that's a sex classification. And all sex classifications, we have said repeatedly in our case law, require intermediate scrutiny. There are an awful lot of female athletes who are strongly opposed to participation by trans athletes in competitions with them. What do you say about them? Are they bigots? Are they deluded in thinking that they are subjected to unfair competition? No, Your Honor. I would never call anyone that. On the preliminary record in this case, and as the experts below agreed, circulating testosterone after puberty is the main determinant of sex-based biological advantage that HB 500 sought to address. And on this record, Lindsay Hickox has mitigated that advantage because she has suppressed her testosterone for over a year and taken estrogen. HB 500 thus fails heightened scrutiny as applied to Lindsay and transgender women like her who have no sex-based biological advantage as compared to birth sex females. And so it's going to come to this court and we have to decide for the whole country, constitutionalize this. And I guess given that half the states are allowing it, allowing transgender girls and women to participate, about half or not, why would we at this point just the role of this court jump in and try to constitutionalize a rule for the whole country while they're still, as you say, uncertainty in debate? So here's what we know from all of that back and forth. The Supreme Court justices came out and they said, we must protect women's sports from men. Now, this is going to become a defining issue for the midterm elections. Elections are typically shaped.

by multiple factors, including the economy, immigration, inflation, and international events. But both parties here clearly see the transgender policy as an issue that energizes important parts of their base, their coalitions. And one thing is actually certain now. The Supreme Court issued its ruling, but the political debate... at least from the side of radical Democrats, is only intensifying. Thank you for listening to the 47 Morning Update with Ben Ferguson. Please make sure you hit subscribe wherever you're listening to this podcast right now. And for more in-depth news, also subscribe to the Ben Ferguson podcast, and we will see you back here tomorrow.