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Republican Rep. Andy Hopper admitted he doesn't know what being intersex is while trying to cut funding for universities over LGBTQ+ programs.
Republican Rep. Andy Hopper admitted he doesn't know what being intersex is while trying to cut funding for universities over LGBTQ+ programs.
A Republican representative in Texas is proving what LGBTQ+ advocates have been saying all along — conservatives don't know a single thing about the queer community.
The state House of Representatives voted 118-26 to approve a $337 billion budget Friday morning, but not without first killing several amendments targeting LGBTQ+ and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. One such amendment, proposed by Republican Rep. Andy Hopper, aimed to eliminate state funding for the University of Texas at Austin over its LGBTQ+ and DEI programs and degree plans.
In debating the amendment, Democratic Rep. Lauren Ashley Simmons prodded Hopper until he made a stunning admission. The moment, which has since gone viral after being posted by the Human Rights Campaign and Texas Democrats, began with Simmons challenging Hopper after he stated "when you're born, you have a set of chromosomes."
"Are you speaking about biological sex? Or are you speaking about gender? 'Cause one is scientific, one is a social construct," Simmons said, adding, "'Cause I have a follow up question after."
"They're one and the same, ma'am," Hopper falsely asserted, grinning smugly.
"That's not true, but moving on. So, in the same vein, what about intersex individuals?" Simmons questioned.
To which Hopper responded: "I don't even know what that means, ma'am."
The crowd in the room responded with a mix of surprise and laughter. When the noise died down, Simmons continued.
"You are not sure what intersex people are, if they exist or not, but you want to defund a program about something that you don't understand," she said. "That's why I'm seeking clarification. ... Then again, you haven't yet answered my question about where do intersex people fall into that equation?"
"Those intersex individuals are still XX or XY," Hopper replied. "So, you can't change that."
The incorrect claim prompted Republican Rep. Valoree Swanson, the lead author of the state's transgender sports ban who had been standing next to Hopper at the podium, to tug on his sleeve and say to him quietly — but loud enough for the microphone to pick up — "Andy, that's not true."
There are currently over 40 known intersex variations, according to the Intersex Society of North America, which can cause individuals to make more or less estrogen or testosterone than average, be more or less sensitive to those hormones, have different sizes and appearances of their genitals, and have variations in their X and Y sex chromosomes.
The most common intersex variations are due to differences in chromosomes, such as Klinefelter syndrome (XXY), Turner syndrome (X0), and triple X syndrome (XXX). About 2 in every 100 births have an intersex variation, according to multiple sources — around the same as the number of people with red hair.
Not all intersex people identify as LGBTQ+. They may identify as straight, gay, lesbian, bisexual, asexual, female, male, both, or neither.
Simmons filed a point of order against Hopper, and after over an hour of debate, the House ultimately voted against the amendment.
