Testimony

 Testimony

From a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, Berkeley Law School Professor Khiara Bridges and Sen. Josh Hawley, Tuesday:

Hawley: "Professor Bridges, you said several times, you've used a phrase I want to make sure I understand what you mean by it," Hawley told Berkeley Law School Professor Khiara Bridges. You referred to people with 'a capacity for pregnancy.' Would that be women?"

Bridges: "Many women, cis women have the capacity for pregnancy, many cis women do not have the capacity for pregnancy. There are also trans men who are capable of pregnancy as well as non-binary people who are capable of pregnancy."

Hawley: "So this isn't really a women rights issue it's a -- what?"

Bridges: "We can recognize that this impacts women while also recognizing that it impacts other groups. Those things are not mutually exclusive, Senator Hawley."

Hawley: "Oh, so your view is that the core of this right, then, is about what?"

Bridges: "So I want to recognize that your line of questioning is transphobic, and it opens up trans people to violence by not recognizing them."

Hawley: "Wow, you're saying that I'm opening up people to violence by asking whether or not women are the folks that can have pregnancies?"

Bridges: "So I want to note that one out of five transgender persons has attempted suicide. So I think it's important--"

Hawley: "Because of my line of questioning? We can't talk about it?"

Bridges: "Because denying that trans people exist and pretending not to know that they exist --"

Hawley: "I'm denying that trans people exist by asking you if you're talking about women?"

Bridges: "Are you? Are you? Are you? Do you believe that men can get pregnant?!"

Hawley: "No, I don't think men can get pregnant."

Bridges: "So you're denying that trans people exist."

Hawley: "And that leads to violence? Is this how you run your classroom, are students allowed to question you, or are they also treated like this? Or are they opening up people to violence?

Bridges: "We have a good time in my class, you should join. You might learn a lot."

Hawley: "Well, I would learn a lot. I've learned a lot from this exchange. Extraordinary."