Republican presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee has said that the push for transgender rights is a threat to the United States.
The former Arkansas governor made the comments while discussing religious liberty in February at the National Religious Broadcasters Convention in Nashville, Tennessee.
“For those who do not think that we are under threat, simply recognize the fact that we are now, in city after city, watching ordinances say that your seven-year-old daughter, if she goes into the restroom, cannot be offended and you can’t be offended if she’s greeted there by a 42-year-old man who feels more like a woman than he does a man,” Huckabee said.
Though the event occurred months ago, the video became public after it was uploaded to WorldNetDaily this past weekend. Huckabee, who first ran for president in the 2008 election, starts speaking about transgender rights around the 17-minute and 40-second mark.
“Now I wish that someone told me that when I was in high school that I could have felt like a woman when it came time to take showers in PE [physical education],” said Huckabee. “I’m pretty sure that I would have found my feminine side and said: ‘Coach, I think I’d rather shower with the girls today.’ You’re laughing because it sounds so ridiculous, doesn’t it?”
During his remarks in Nashville, Huckabee said he is not “against anybody”.
“There is something inherently wrong about forcing little children to be a part of this social experiment,” Huckabee said. “I’m not against anybody. I’d just like for somebody to bring their brain to work some day and not leave it on the bedstand when they show up to govern.”
While speaking with reporters on Tuesday, Huckabee was asked what he thought about the latest cover of Vanity Fair, which features Caitlyn Jenner, in the latest stage of former Olympic athlete Bruce Jenner’s transition to a female identity.
“I’m not going there,” Huckabee replied.
Huckabee announced his candidacy for president in early May from his hometown of Hope, Arkansas. His campaign has not responded to a request for comment.
