A Daily Wire Host Called for Eradicating ‘Transgenderism’ at CPAC. Was His Rhetoric Genocidal?

Daily Wire (Right bias) commentator Michael Knowles called for eradicating “transgenderism” from public life in a CPAC speech, prompting criticism that his rhetoric was a call for genocide against trans people. 

Key Quotes: On Saturday, Knowles said, “For the good of society and especially for the good of the poor people who have fallen prey to this confusion, transgenderism must be eradicated from public life entirely — the whole preposterous ideology — at every level.” This was not the first time Knowles made that argument; on February 27, he said on his show, “You have to ban transgenderism entirely. You can’t just ban it for the kids.”

Changing Headlines: Some headlines initially said Knowles had called for the eradication of “transgender people.” Some were later changed to say “transgenderism” — a word regarded as transphobic by many trans people — after Knowles accused the outlets of libel. Rolling Stone (Left bias) later changed its headline again to include both ideas. 

Critical Voices: Criticism was forceful and common in left-rated outlets. On Twitter, trans rights activists said Knowles was “openly calling for genocide” and argued that calling for the eradication of “transgenderism” was comparably genocidal to calling for the eradication of “Judaism.” A tagline on Rolling Stone’s article simply read, “EVIL.”

Supportive Voices: Voices supporting Knowles were primarily found in right-rated outlets. Daily Wire host Matt Walsh, who has also called for banning transition-related care for all ages, defended Knowles, tweeting, “Truth itself for its sake. Our war against this scourge is a defensive struggle. They started it.” Few center-rated outlets covered the story.