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Hypocrite Mike Pence lies about Biden while attacking trans youth

Vice President Mike Pence, Joe Biden state of the union address, transgender,
Mike Pence Photo: YouTube screenshot

Former Vice President and current Republican presidential candidate Mike Pence identifies as a Christian, but he doesn’t seem to follow the Biblical commandment against lying. On Wednesday, Pence lied about President Joe Biden’s 2022 State of the Union Address in order to justify his own attacks on transgender people’s rights.

While speaking on Wednesday to the Woodbury County GOP and Republican Women at the Pizza Ranch restaurant in Sioux City, Iowa, an audience member asked Pence, “Where do you stand on transgender in sports and them going into women’s restrooms, to change and so forth?”

Pence said that he would ban trans female athletes from playing on girls’ sports teams and also promised to pass a nationwide ban on gender-affirming health care for trans youth. To justify his position, Pence lied about a statement made by Biden during his 2022 State of the Union Address.

“It was amazing to me when President Biden, during the State of the Union address, literally promised to defend in his words, ”the God-given right of men to compete in women’s sports,'” Pence lied.

What Biden actually said during his address was, “The onslaught of state laws targeting transgender Americans and their families is wrong. As I said last year, especially to our younger transgender Americans, I will always have your back as your President, so you can be yourself and reach your God-given potential.”

During his Wednesday address to Republicans, Pence said, “Participation in women’s sports should be limited to the gender assigned at birth.” He also said it’s “crazy” to allow an “erosion” of “the incredible progress we’ve made in women’s athletics.” Trans athletes have pointed out that anti-trans politicians who seek to “protect” women’s sports from trans people never discuss the sexism, unequal pay, and other social inequalities that actually harm female athletes and women’s sports programs.

Pence then told the Iowa Republicans that the “transgender ideology” of “the radical left… has taken hold in our schools” and said that underage students in Iowa can get “a gender transition plan” from school nurses without parents knowing about it. This is untrue.

The Biden Administration requires federally funded schools to accommodate trans youth by allowing them to use pronouns and facilities matching their gender identities. However, schools are neither required nor authorized to issue any sort of “gender transition plan.” Such plans are created by non-school-affiliated medical professionals who work closely with trans youth.

In February 2023, Pence’s group Advancing American Freedom launched a campaign attacking transgender-inclusive policies in Iowa schools. In an April 2022 speech at the University of Virginia, Pence also said that transgender collegiate swimmer Lia Thomas had unfairly won a 500-yard freestyle race at the NCAA championship. During that speech, he repeated the same lie about Biden’s State of the Union address.

Despite Pence’s pledge to ban gender-affirming care for trans youth, similar statewide bans have been repeatedly defeated in federal courts and contradict the best-care practices recommended by the American Medical Association, American Psychological Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and other major medical associations.

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