Who is Michael Knowles? CPAC speech controversy explained as transgenderism comments spark outrage

Conservative political commentator Michael Knowles sparked immense backlash online following his anti-trans rhetoric at the Conservative Political Action Conference. The Daily Wire host rallied for the eradication of “transgenderism” which left netizens weary.

During his speech on Saturday, Michael Knowles told the crowd that the transgender “ideology” must be “eradicated.” He also claimed that “transgenderism” was taking away the rights of people.

While he did not elaborate on how the ideology was stealing rights from others in his speech, Michael Knowles said:

"There can be no middle way in dealing with transgenderism. It is all or nothing. If transgenderism is true, if men can really become women then it is true for everybody of all ages. If transgenderism is false, as it is, if men really can become women, as they cannot, then it is false for everybody too. And if it’s false, then we should not indulge it."

Knowles went on to add:

"Especially since that indulgence requires taking away the rights and customs of so many people. If it is false, then for the good of society and especially for the good of poor people who have fallen prey to this confusion, transgenderism must be eradicated from public life entirely. The whole preposterous ideology at every level."

According to the Cambridge Dictionary, transgenderism is often used by those against transgender people. It refers to those whose gender does not match the body they are born with.

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Who is Michael Knowles?

Following his controversial speech, several netizens have developed a keen interest in the political commentator. He also graduated from Yale University with a degree in history and Italian.

Prior to becoming a known figure in the political arena, Knowles aspired to become an actor, and curated his craft at the Stella Adler Studio of Acting. Michael Knowles has appeared in a few short films and series including Survive, Triangle, and House of Shades.

Following Donald Trump’s presidential win, he became a devout follower of the Republican Party. He has acquired immense backlash for his right-leaning politics and statements that included calling Greta Thunberg a mentally ill child and making derogatory remarks towards former president Barack Obama.

He was also sprayed with lavender liquid after offending the LGBTQ community.

Michael Knowles also wrote the famous 2017 book Reasons to Vote for Democrats: A Comprehensive Guide. The book, which was 266 pages long, was entirely empty and mocked the left-leaning party. Several conservatives praised Knowles for the book and he also gained positive reviews from Donald Trump.

His appearance at the CPAC event was not the only time he raised eyebrows over his political beliefs. Recently, a clip of him speaking about transgender people on his show came to light. Knowles stated that transgender people are not a “legitimate category of being.” Addressing the backlash he received for seemingly calling for the genocide of the trans community, Knowles said on his show:

“One, I don’t know how you can have a genocide of transgender people because genocide refers to genes, it refers to genetics, it refers to biology and the whole point of transgenderism is that it has nothing to do with biology… transgender people is not a real ontological category. It is not a legitimate category of being.”

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Netizens react to Michael Knowles’ CPAC transgenderism speech

Internet users were horrified to hear the political commentator’s beliefs on transgender people and the theory of transgenderism. A few reactions read:

After amassing intense backlash online, Knowles clarified with various publications, including the Rolling Stone, that a call for the eradication of “transgenderism” is not the same as wanting to eradicate transgender people.