Wyoming Republican Sen. Cynthia Lummis caved this week to hecklers who took issue with her comments about biological sex during a University of Wyoming commencement ceremony.
In her keynote speech to the class of 2022, Lummis said rights are given by God but are often encroached on by the government. Some of her comments about the government’s excessive overreach during the Covid-19 pandemic received applause but she faced backlash for claiming that “Even fundamental scientific truths, such as the existence of two sexes, male and female, are subject to challenge these days.”
Nothing Lummis said was factually inaccurate but her comments about sex did not sit well with graduates and commencement attendees who booed her.
U.S. Sen. Cynthia Lummis (R–WY) was loudly booed during her University of Wyoming commencement speech yesterday after remarking “even fundamental scientific truths such as the existence of two sexes, male and female, are subject to challenge these days.” pic.twitter.com/k9SVxe0GmC
— Tony Webster (@webster) May 15, 2022
After several moments of disruption, Lummis clarified that “I’m not making a comment on the fact that there are people who transition between sexes” but her attempt to soothe her critics was not successful.
After the graduation speech, Lummis took heat from Democrat operatives, the university’s Council on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, and even UW President Ed Seidel who released a statement denouncing the senator’s remarks about sex.
“One of our speakers made remarks regarding biological sex that many on campus take issue with. While we respect the right of all to express their views, from students to elected officials, we unequivocally state that UW is an institution that supports and celebrates its diverse communities that collectively make us the wonderful place that we are,” Seidel said. “Thank you to the many students and families who celebrated with us this weekend. We welcome the incredible individuality and intellect of all our dynamic and diverse students and never want you to feel otherwise.”
In response to the accusations of “transphobia,” Lummis apologized to those who she said may have felt “un-welcomed or disrespected” by her comments.
“…it was never my intention to make anyone feel un-welcomed or disrespected, and for that I apologize. I have appreciated hearing from members of the University of Wyoming community on this issue, and I look forward to continuing this dialogue,” she said in a statement from her office.
Lummis also said she believes “women and men are equal” and that she “acknowledge[s] that there are biological differences and circumstances in which these differences need to be recognized.” She couched her belief rooted in truth, however, with a clear confession that she can’t handle the pressure that comes with mentioning that “biological sex is under debate with potential implications for the shared Wyoming value of equality.”
While Lummis did not walk back her belief that “there are biological differences” between the two sexes, she qualified the truth based on the mob’s reaction. That type of cowardice enables people such as Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson, who claimed she can’t define a woman because she’s not a biologist, and leftist Twitter censors who nuke users for stating that Rachel Levine, the U.S. assistant secretary for health, is a man.
The truth of the matter is the senator never had anything to say sorry for, yet she did anyway.
By apologizing for the truth, Lummis ceded key culture war ground to the woke mob. Instead of standing by her accurate comments, Lummis granted power to leftists who want to manipulate the conversation about sex to fit into the confines of their radical agenda. Her timidity when it comes to biological sex also hurts the Republican party and her GOP colleagues who are actively fighting off the left’s attempts to institutionalize grooming and dangerous medical experimentation.
Source: The Federalist
