Daily Wire host issues chilling call to ‘ban transgenderism entirely’

Right-wing US news host Michael Knowles has claimed Kansas’ new ‘aggressive’ anti-trans bill is ‘beautiful’ because it bans ‘transgenderism’ entirely.

In an episode of The Michael Knowles Show on The Daily Wire, the host celebrated the bill banning transgender people from using single-sex spaces.

Kansas state legislators recently voted in favour of introducing the ‘Women’s Bill of Rights’, defining a female as someone “whose biological reproductive system is developed to produce ova”. The vote passed by 26-10 on Thursday (23 February).

And according to the bill, a male refers to someone “whose reproductive system is developed to fertilise the ova of a female”. In a rant to the camera during his news segment, Knowles goes on to praise the bill for its aggressive nature.

‘I Love this bill’

“This is a beautiful bill because it doesn’t just say ‘don’t trans the kids’. It doesn’t just say ‘wait till eight to introduce kids to transgenderism in schools,” Knowles said.

“Once they turn nine, that’s fine. It doesn’t just say only minors can’t – it bans transgenderism for all practical purposes in the state for everybody. And it has to. In order for women to have the right to have their own bathrooms, you have to ban transgenderism entirely.

“I love this bill because it is so much more aggressive than the other bills we’ve seen. I don’t mean to knock the other governors and in the statehouses, they’ve done a great job laying the groundwork… but this bill goes much further.”

The host went on to claim conservatives are OK with men putting on dresses, but added they shouldn’t be doing it around children. Knowles concluded by saying culture is “trying to trans the kids” – with absolutely no evidence to back up his claims.

The Daily Wire is a conservative US news outlet, founded by right-wing commentator Ben Shapiro, with a history of anti-trans output.

US plagued with anti-trans legislation in 2023

In January 2023, Republican senator David Bullard proposed the Oklahoma bill SB129, which aims to prevent healthcare professionals from providing “gender transition procedures” to those within the age bracket.

And physicians would be convicted of a felony for referring patients under 26 to get gender-affirming care.

Utah became the first state to ban gender-affirming care for trans youth in 2023 after governor Spencer Cox signed a chilling bill into law. 

The state’s Republican-dominated legislature seemingly prioritised the legislation, SB 16, as it was quickly passed through both chambers in January. The House approved the measure on Thursday, 26 January, and the Senate passed it just a day later.

These bills are just a drop in the ocean. By March this year, more than 300 anti-LGBTQ+ bills have been introduced in the United States.

In comparison, only 107 pro-LGBTQ+ bills have been filed.