Wisconsin conservative admits he was wrong about his anti-trans beliefs — this was all it took

As anti-LGBTQ+ legislation is sweeping the nation, one man stepped up and proved that it is still possible to change hearts and minds.

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A video of an older man apologizing and admitting he was wrong about the transgender community is making the rounds on Reddit after he spoke out at a Wisconsin assembly meeting amid a heated back-and-forth about a bill to ban gender-affirming medical care for transgender youth.

“First of all, I’d like to apologize to you people. I was invited here to give my support for Bill 104. I have very little knowledge of gay people and things like that there. So, when I came here, my eyes were opened,” a retirement-age man named Larry said during the public comment section of the assembly meeting.

Bill AB 104 would ban gender-affirming care for anyone under the age of 18 and would stop health care providers from making medical referrals for medical care “if done for the purpose of changing the minor’s body to correspond to a sex that is discordant with the minor’s biological sex,” the Wisconsin Examiner reports.

The March 12 meeting to discuss this bill that would stop doctors from prescribing puberty blockers or gender-affirming surgery for minors, ended up giving Larry a crash course in gender identity and instead of doubling down on his anti-trans beliefs, he listened and ended up switching sides of the argument.

While Republican assembly members argued that the bill was necessary to protect children, Democratic State Rep. Renuka Mayadev pointed out that the Wisconsin government should be more concerned with how anti-LGBTQ+ hate has led to violence in the U.S.

“There’s a transgender man, who was tortured and assaulted and beaten to death. He was beaten because of the hate that people have, and I want to know why aren’t we protecting people like Sam?” Mayadev asked, The Examiner reports. “[The bill] is not solving any problems. It’s meddling in the patient-doctor relationship.”

According to a 2024 study published by JAMA, teenagers who are prescribed puberty blockers and hormones have a high level of satisfaction, with 97% continuing treatment.

It was this kind of information that helped to sway Larry.

“I was one of the critics that sat on the side and made the decision that there was only two genders,” he explained to the assembly members. “So I got an education that was unbelievable. And I don’t know exactly how to say this, but my perspective for people have changed. So I don’t want to take up no more of your time. I’d like to apologize for being here, and I learned a very lot about this group of people.”

In the video, the audience can be heard clapping for Larry after his apology, likely because admitting to being wrong is difficult for most people who have dug their heels in on an issue.

“One of the most important things you can do in life is to be accountable,” cryfmunt wrote in the video’s comment section on Reddit. “You have to admit when you're wrong or have made a mistake. Regardless of anyone else's beliefs, this guy saw something that changed his perspective and he admitted to it in probably the most public forum he will ever speak at. And on top of that he apologized. Imagine if everyone could do that.”