Democratic presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said Saturday that he opposed transgender athletes competing in women’s and girls’ sports.
During an interview with CNN’s Michael Smerconish on Saturday, Kennedy was asked about males competing against females in women’s sports. The 69-year-old son of former Sen. Robert F. Kennedy announced his presidential candidacy earlier in April.
With his comments, Kennedy is one of only a few Democratic officials or candidates who have publicly signaled opposition to transgender athletes from competing in women’s sports.
It comes as the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act several days ago, effectively barring educational institutions that receive federal funding from allowing male athletes to compete in women’s sports. No Democrats backed the bill, but 10 refused to cast a vote.
But President Joe Biden said that he would veto the bill if it reaches his desk, and it’s unlikely the Democrat-controlled Senate would pass the measure.
A Biden administration proposal that was unveiled earlier this month would disallow colleges and schools from placing outright bans on transgender athletes. A number of state legislatures across the United States have passed such bans in recent months.
Censored Interview?
Kennedy’s Democratic 2024 opponents include Biden, who announced his own presidential bid last week, and author Marianne Williamson. Both are considered long-shot candidates against Biden, although a recent poll showed that Kennedy has about 19 percent support and Williamson has about 9 percent support, respectively, against the president.Days before, Kennedy accused ABC News of censoring his comments about vaccines during an interview that aired last week. ABC News journalist Linsey Davis stated before their interview that “RFK Jr. is one of the biggest voices pushing anti-vaccine rhetoric, regularly distributing misinformation and disinformation about vaccines, which scientific and medical experts overwhelmingly say are safe and effective based on rigorous scientific studies.”
Kennedy added that he would “supply citations to support every statement I made during that exchange ... I’m certain that ABC’s decision to censor came as a shock to Linsey as well. Instead of journalism, the public saw a hatchet job. Instead of information, they got defamation and unsheathed pharma propaganda.”
“As President, I will free FCC from its corporate captors and force the agency to follow the law by revoking the licenses of networks that put the mercantile ambitions of advertisers ahead of the public interest,” he concluded.