As more Americans become disillusioned on transgenderism and public opinion turns strongly against men in women’s sports, so-called “sex change” operations for minors, and gender ideology in schools, many high-profile Democrats are frantically trying to appear more moderate on the issue. But when pressed, it becomes clear that the same left-wing radicalism still simmers beneath the surface of this new centrist façade.
The latest liberal partisan to try to paper over his extreme views is Rahm Emanuel, former Chief of Staff to President Barack Obama, Mayor of Chicago (2011-2019), and President Joe Biden’s Ambassador to Japan. Emanuel has been largely irrelevant on the national political scene in recent years, but comments made on “The Megyn Kelly Show” last week quickly generated buzz on both sides of the political aisle.
Emanuel appeared on the show to discuss how Democrats “lost their way,” a potential 2028 presidential run, and his views on transgender ideology. Kelly asked Emanuel point-blank if he believes men can become women.
“Can a man become a woman? No,” Emanuel responded. The former mayor also said he does not believe men should be allowed to compete on women’s sports teams. “As a father of both a son and two girls, they are fundamentally physically different, and we have to… that’s just biology.” He then joked that he would have to go into “witness protection” for his answer.
Kelly initially appeared impressed by Emanuel’s honesty, saying his response was “so easy.” But are we really supposed to believe Emanuel has so completely converted to team common sense?
In that same interview, when asked by Kelly about the culture wars in public schools, Emanuel admitted that as mayor, he signed an ordinance allowing men who claimed transgender status to use women’s bathrooms. “Each person determines his or her own gender identity,” the 2016 ordinance stated.
Emanuel refused to change his position on allowing men to use women’s restrooms and locker rooms when asked directly by Kelly – apparently contradicting his statements from just a few moments earlier. “No, not from an inclusive standpoint,” he said when asked whether he supports banning men from women’s facilities. “It’s not the dominant issue.”
Additionally, instead of firmly denouncing transgender drugs and surgeries for minors, he said parents should be able to sign off on the procedures. But this begs an obvious question: If Emanuel doesn’t believe that someone can change his or her gender, why should anyone, much less children, be put under the knife to have healthy body parts removed or permanently mutilated in pursuit of changing their gender?
This wasn’t the only time Emanuel seemed to contradict himself. During comments at the Economic Club of Chicago back in March, he attempted to downplay the bathroom issue entirely. “We’re having a debate about pronouns right now. What if you have two-thirds of your kids who don’t know what a pronoun is,” he said. “You just had the worst reading scores in 30 years, worst math scores in 30 years, and we’re talking about bathrooms and locker rooms.”
Emanuel is just the latest Democrat to make a mess of things by trying to appear more moderate while refusing to abandon his radical views. Earlier this year, California Governor Gavin Newsom also ignited uproar on the left when he publicly opposed allowing men to compete in women’s sports, calling it an issue of “fairness.”
Like Emanuel, Newsom is considering a run for president in 2028 and clearly recognizes that the left wing of his party is far out of step with the public on transgenderism and men in women’s sports in particular.
But as many conservatives were quick to point out, Newsom’s own policies are at odds with this “controversial” public statement. California is currently being sued by the Trump Department of Justice for not enforcing Title IX and allowing men to compete in women’s sports. As AMAC Newsline reported earlier this year, California is also the first “sanctuary state” in the country for gender-confused minors. Newsom signed a law allowing California courts “to strip custody from parents – even parents of children who don’t live in California – if they refuse to acknowledge their child’s gender confusion.”
Following President Donald Trump’s historic re-election last year, some congressional Democrats also took a brief interest in moderating on gender ideology. Representatives Seth Moulton (D-MA) and Tom Suozzi (D-NY) made statements shortly after the election criticizing men playing in women’s sports.
Just two months later, however, both would vote against legislation to protect girls’ sports, and have since gone quiet on the issue amid backlash from their progressive base.
What the cases of Emanuel, Newsom, Moulton, and Suozzi show is that Democrats have backed themselves into a corner. While they are terrified of offending the left-wing activist class by stepping out of line on transgender ideology, they are also terrified of alienating the large majority of everyday Americans who don’t want gender extremism anywhere near their schools, sports, and most especially their children.
The result is the sort of political schizophrenia now on display. But as Democrats try to have it both ways, they may soon find that they end up pleasing no one.
Matt Lamb is an AMAC Newsline contributor and an associate editor for The College Fix. He previously worked for Students for Life of America, Students for Life Action, and Turning Point USA. He previously interned for Open the Books. His writing has also appeared in the Washington Examiner, The Federalist, LifeSiteNews, Human Life Review, Headline USA, and other outlets. The opinions expressed are his own. Follow him @mattlamb22 on X.
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