White House press secretary Jen Psaki shut down a Fox News Radio reporter who asked about the Biden’s gender discrimination order at Tuesday’s daily media briefing – a day after appearing to mock another of the network’s staffers.
Fox News Radio reporter Rachel Sutherland asked Psaki about the order and if it would allow school-aged transgender girls to participate in girls’ sports leagues and present a potentially unfair playing field.
“What message would the White House have to trans girls and cis girls who may end up competing against each other?” Sutherland asked. “It’s sparking some lawsuits and concern among parents, so does this administration have guidance for schools in dealing with the issue arising over trans girls competing against and with cis girls?”
“I’m not sure what your question is,” Psaki replied.
Sutherland continued, “The president’s executive order has –” before being cut short by Psaki.
“I’m familiar with the order, but what was your question about it?” the press secretary shot back.
“The question is, does the president have a message for local school officials in dealing with these kinds of disputes that are already starting to arise between trans girls who are competing against cis girls, and a level playing field, particularly in high school sports when it leads to college scholarships,” Sutherland said.
“Is there any kind of messaging or clarification that the White House wants to give on the executive order?” she added.
“I would just say that the president’s belief is that trans rights are human rights, and that’s why he signed that executive order,” Psaki said. “In terms of the determinations by universities and colleges, I would certainly defer to them.”
Biden’s executive order, signed on his first day in office, seeks to enforce a Supreme Court ruling from last year that prohibits discrimination on the basis of someone’s gender identity and sexual orientation, The New York Post reports. The order mandates that all students, including transgender children, should be able to learn without experiencing sexual discrimination, including by participating in “school sports”.
Section 1 of the executive order states that education institutions that receive federal funding must allow boys who self-identify as girls to participate in female sports, and that there would be administrative consequences if not.