Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, a Republican, pointed out on Twitter that “Rachel Levine is a man” — and was subsequently flagged for “hateful conduct” by the social media giant.
Earlier this week, USA Today chose Assistant Secretary of Health and Human Services Rachel Levine — a biological man who claims transgender identity — as one of its “Women of the Year.” According to the outlet, the Biden appointee is among the “strong and resilient women who have been champions of change and courage, often quietly, but with powerful results.”
Paxton screenshotted USA Today’s story and tweeted simply that “Rachel Levine is a man.” Twitter flagged the tweet, stating that it “violated the Twitter Rules about hateful conduct.” However, the tweet was not removed because Twitter “determined that it may be in the public’s interest for the Tweet to remain accessible.”
Rachel Levine is a man. pic.twitter.com/OWgpKUmfHz
— Attorney General Ken Paxton (@KenPaxtonTX) March 17, 2022
Paxton later released a statement doubling down on his original message.
“Yesterday I stated an irrefutable scientific fact: Rachel Levine is a man,” Paxton wrote. “I pointed this out after USA Today named him a ‘Woman’ of the Year. But Levine is not a woman. He has one X and one Y chromosome and other male-sex characteristics. I just follow the science.”
“For simply saying this matter-of-factly, Twitter blocked it as ‘hateful.’ Users can now only access my statement through a trigger-warning filter. And even then, users can neither like it nor comment on it,” he continued. “At the same time, hundreds of other verified accounts saying the exact same thing remain untouched and unfiltered.”
“This whole insane episode represents a two-pronged attack from the left — both of which I’m vigorously fighting against. First is the left’s war against human biology, and especially against women. Second is their weaponization of Big Tech against conservative voices,” Paxton added.
“But Big Tech is not only anti-conservative and anti-Republican. It is now apparently anti-truth and anti-science. I will continue to use all my power to hold them accountable. Even now, I’m exploring legal options to stop their one-sided censorship.”
My statement on Big Tech censorship ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/7lejatKx2K
— Attorney General Ken Paxton (@KenPaxtonTX) March 18, 2022
Paxton, however, is not the first Republican lawmaker to be censored by Twitter for making note of Levine’s biology. Twitter locked the account of Rep. Jim Banks (R-IN) last year after he said that “the title of first female four-star officer gets taken by a man,” referring to Levine’s nomination as a four-star admiral of the U.S. Public Health Services Commissioned Corps.
“Calling someone that was born and lived as a man for 54 years the first ‘female’ four-star officer is an insult to every little girl who dreams of breaking glass ceilings one day,” Banks also tweeted last year.
Criticism of USA Today for snubbing women in favor of Levine occurs as Lia Thomas — a biological man on the University of Pennsylvania swim team who likewise claims transgender identity — placed first in the NCAA Women’s Swimming Championship 500 yard freestyle on Thursday. In response, many honored University of Virginia swimmer Emma Weyant, who placed second, as the true winner.