Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) was called transphobic and accused of opening trans people up to violence during a testy exchange with a law professor witness at a Tuesday Senate hearing on the recent overturning of Roe v. Wade.

During the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, Hawley questioned UC Berkeley Professor Khiara Bridges on using the term “people with a capacity for pregnancy.”

“Would that be women?” Hawley asked the professor.

Bridges responded by saying there are trans men capable of becoming pregnant, as well as non-binary people.

“So this isn’t really a women’s rights issue —” Hawley began before Bridges jumped back in.

“We can recognize that this impacts women while also recognizing that it also impacts other groups. Those things are not mutually exclusive, Senator Hawley,” she said.

After Hawley asked what Bridges thought the “core” of the issue was, the professor unloaded by accusing him of conducting a “transphobic” line of questioning, one that could potentially lead to violence.

“I want to recognize that your line of questioning is transphobic,” she said, “and it opens up trans people to violence by not recognizing them.”

“Wow. You’re saying that I’m opening up people to violence by asking whether or not women are the only folks who can have pregnancies?” Hawley asked.

In a back and forth, Bridges noted one in five trans people have attempted suicide — according to a Trevor Project study — a danger she said the senator was adding to by “denying” the existence of trans people, something he denied doing.

“Do you believe that men can get pregnant?” Bridges eventually asked.

“No, I don’t think men can get pregnant,” Hawley said.

“So then you’re denying that trans people exist. Thank you,” Bridges shot back.

Hawley was slightly taken aback by the question and accusation and asked the professor if this was how she ran her classroom or if anyone who questioned her was accused of promoting violence or denying the existence of trans people.

“We have a good time in my class. You should join. You might learn a lot,” she said.

“Wow. I would learn a lot,” Hawley sarcastically said. “I’ve learned a lot from this exchange. Extraordinary.”

Watch the exchange between Hawley and Bridges above.

The post Hawley Accused of Promoting Violence Against Trans People in Abortion Hearing Clash: ‘Do You Believe Men Can Get Pregnant?’ first appeared on Mediaite.

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