Conservatives on social media have erupted with fury over a 15-second video showing a Michigan official dodging a question about how many genders exist.
The MAGA world has unleashed a flood of criticism against Superintendent Sue Carnell over her response to the interrogation by Republican state Rep Jay DeBoyer.
'How many genders are there?' DeBoyer asked Carnell during an October 28 hearing. Carnell smiled and did not answer, prompting the lawmaker to repeat his question.
'Different people have different beliefs on that,' Carnell eventually replied. DeBoyer hit back. 'Well, you can believe all you want, but science says there's two,' he said.
DeBoyer's question came during a Michigan House of Representatives hearing about proposed changes to the Department of Education's Health Education Standards Guidelines, which included adding lessons about gender identity.
The progressive proposals were passed last week, but video of the debate about them went viral on Monday after it was shared by popular X account, Libs of TikTok.
As Chief Deputy Superintendent, Carnell is partly responsible for children's education in Michigan, and the video sparked widespread criticism from the right.
'Three quarters of Michigan kids can’t read at grade level,' Republican State Senator for Michigan Aric Nesbitt wrote in response to the clip. 'When you realize these are the people in charge of education in Michigan, that number starts to make a lot more sense.'
The MAGA world has unleashed a flood of criticism against state Superintendent Sue Carnell (pictured) over her response to the interrogation by Republican state Rep Jay DeBoyer
'How many genders are there?' DeBoyer (pictured) asked Carnell during an October 28 hearing. Carnell smiled and did not answer, prompting him to repeat the question
The video of Carnell's questioning sparked widespread criticism from the right, including from Republican State Senator for Michigan Aric Nesbitt, as shown above
Michigan ranks 44th in the country when it comes to fourth-grade reading scores, according to this year's report from the Education Trust Midwest.
Conservative Americans on X slammed Carnell for her non-answer on the new curriculum, describing it as 'a cop-out'.
'This is beyond embarrassing,' one man wrote. 'If a person can't answer how many genders there are then they shouldn't be allowed to vote.'
'“Different people have different beliefs on that”. Such a cop-out answer!' one person with the X username 'MAGA Bags' wrote.
'No Sue Carnell, You are the Chief Deputy Superintendent of the Michigan Department of Education and can’t answer a simple biology question?
'This is the Democrats stance on gender whenever asked… There are two, there have always been two and WILL ALWAYS BE TWO! Anyone who says differently is incapable of leading anything, much less a State’s DOE!'
Some theorists contest that there is an important distinction between biological sex and gender, arguing that the term 'sex' refers to a person's physical characteristics, while the term 'gender' refers to a socially held view of their behaviors.
'Government-run education: where confusion replaces clarity and ideology trumps facts,' an account called 'Doge Unhinged' added.
'Maybe let parents and free markets decide what kids learn instead of bureaucrats playing identity politics.'
The video of Carnell's questioning sparked widespread criticism from Conservatives online
Another man speculated that Carnell believed the answer was two, but was struggling to find a diplomatic answer that would appease left-leaning voters too.
'I am reading a lot into her facial expression, and I am no expert, but she seems to be telegraphing that she knows the answer is two, but she also knows she cannot say that. This is how fear works,' he wrote.
'Sad to think these people are involved with our schools,' another X user said.
The Daily Mail has contacted Carnell's office for comment.
After the viral question, Carnell was asked in more detail about the reasoning behind the new Michigan education proposals.
'Science says there are two genders,' DeBoyer said. 'So why is it that we believe we have to put this indoctrination in the education (system)?'
DeBoyer said it was 'perfectly okay' for 'any politician to believe whatever they want', but asked 'why are we putting in the curriculum to educate our children?'
'What's the reason behind that?' he posited.
Carnell paused for a long moment, before saying: 'The reason behind it is that we find that children who are gender diverse are being harassed, bullied, in school.
'We can't make education gains if students feel unsafe.'
DeBoyer said he 'completely agreed' that 'we have to keep children safe' but questioned whether the new curriculum would 'stop those kind of behaviors in school?'
'The standards point to understanding, tolerance, inclusivity, and based on what we know from Massachusetts, it has made a difference,' Carnell said.
'We are not dictating these standards,' she added. 'These are guidelines'.
As Chief Deputy Superintendent, Carnell is partly responsible for children's education in Michigan, and the video sparked widespread criticism from Conservative Americans
DeBoyer (pictured) said it was 'perfectly okay' for 'any politician to believe whatever they want', but asked 'why are we putting in the curriculum to educate our children?'
Last week the Michigan Board of Education (MDE) brought in new sex education lessons for students, including sessions which cover gender identity.
In a 6-2 vote on Thursday, the MDE updated its Health Education Standards Guidelines.
The rules now recommend that by the end of eighth grade, students are able to define gender identity and expression and sexual orientation.
They will also be able to identify that romantic, emotional, and sexual attractions can happen regardless of the gender of the other person and that 'attractions can change over time.'
Students will also learn the difference between biological sex, gender identity, and gender expression, and be able to identify symptoms of sexually transmitted diseases (STD).
Sexual education will be introduced to students by grade three, although the younger grades will primarily focus on reproductive health, such as menstruation, personal hygiene, and an introduction to STDs.
Supporters of the change hail it as a positive update that will help students who identify as LGBT+ to understand themselves.
