AOC Criticizes Democrats for Caving on Transgender Rights, Campaigns for Maine Candidate
The New York congresswoman declared herself a "girl's girl" while addressing concerns about the party's stance on transgender issues at a town hall.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., sharply criticized fellow Democrats for what she described as caving on transgender rights, asserting her solidarity with the transgender community by calling herself a "girl's girl." Her remarks came during a town hall event in Portland, Maine, where she was campaigning for Senate hopeful Troy Jackson.
During the event, a transgender student voiced concerns to Ocasio-Cortez about the Democratic Party abandoning the community. In response, Ocasio-Cortez expressed regret that some politicians are easily swayed by political pressures, particularly after an election. "I think it’s what people hate most about politics, which is politicians who will jump on this side or that side of the line at a moment’s notice," she stated. She emphasized that compromising transgender rights undermines the rights of all Americans.
Ocasio-Cortez acknowledged that many Democrats have shifted their positions on transgender issues, attributing this in part to Republican critiques regarding transgender participation in women's sports and medical procedures for minors. She recalled removing her pronouns from her X (formerly Twitter) biography after the 2024 presidential election.
"There’s plenty of people who may not understand or the conversation about gender may be very new to them, depending on who they are or where they live," Ocasio-Cortez said. "However, our basic rights shouldn’t have to matter."
She further elaborated on her commitment, stating, "I don’t support the rights of trans people just to protect my own rights, but I support the rights of trans women because I’m a girl’s girl."
The town hall, featuring Jackson, saw many attendees directing their questions toward Ocasio-Cortez rather than the Maine Senate candidate. Ocasio-Cortez also used the platform to criticize the Trump administration, referencing a raid on the Washington D.C. home of fellow "Squad" member Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., to investigate her citizenship status.
Ocasio-Cortez called for Democrats to utilize congressional committees to intensify investigations into the Trump administration. "We’ve known the Department of Justice has also been weaponized in its absolutely groundless indictments of everyone from Tish James to Jerome Powell and so on and so forth," she asserted.
She urged for immediate investigations into agency heads, stating, "Day one, we need to be opening investigations into the head of every single one of these agencies, and we need to hold them accountable. I’m talking subpoenas, I’m talking investigations."
"Everyone must be held to the same standard and rule of law, and we will never get our country back," she concluded, adding, "If we allow criminals to have cabinet seats in the United States of America."