The big political debate over transgender people and bathrooms has led to plenty of hot takes and controversies. But on Tuesday, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott provided a take so hot that it might burn out your brain just trying to make sense of it:
JFK wanted to send a man to the moon. Obama wants to send a man to the women's restroom. We must get our country back on track. #tcot
— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) May 17, 2016
Comparing space exploration and LGBTQ issues is a bit odd. But Abbott's tweet is also wrong.
President Barack Obama does not want to "send a man to the women's restroom." Like other LGBTQ advocates, he simply wants to let trans women use the bathroom that aligns with their gender identity (and the same goes for transgender men, by the way). So last week, he issued guidelines to public schools to do just that — while also guiding schools to protect trans students from discrimination more broadly.
There are two possible explanations for Abbott's tweet getting this basic fact wrong. One, he could be purposely mischaracterizing Obama's action for political gain — not exactly unheard of from a politician. Or he might be not so subtly denying that trans people exist at all by characterizing all trans women as men — which would go against what every major medical association and the scientific evidence say on this issue. (Texas's lieutenant governor tried something similar on Fox News, drawing fire from Megyn Kelly.)
Either way, Abbott's tweet is ludicrous.
