Michael Knowles gave a lengthy response to a college student who defended transgenderism by citing trans-identifying figures in pagan societies.
The exchange occurred during the Q&A section of Knowles’ remarks Thursday evening to a packed auditorium at the University of Wisconsin-Superior. The event was hosted by Young America’s Foundation.
“Before I state my question, I just want to honor that we are all standing on the land that belongs to the Ojibwe Anishinaabe people,” a female student began her question to Knowles.
“Thank you for mentioning that. I meant to mention that at the beginning of my speech, but I’m glad that you could,” Knowles responded, smiling.
Woke student: "Before I say my question, I just want to honor that we are all standing on the land that belongs to the Ojibwe Anishinaabe people."@michaeljknowles responds: "Thank you for mentioning that. I meant to mention that at the beginning of my speech." pic.twitter.com/jF3qkqtjL4
— Daily Wire (@realDailyWire) April 14, 2023
The student went on to claim that thousands of years ago, certain ancient priests were transgender or androgynous, and certain Greek gods identified as women.
“Indigenous communities have used two-spirit personas for the entirety of their culture,” the student said. “When you say that transgenderism must be eradicated from public life entirely, I ask you, Mr. Knowles, how can we eradicate something that has been here as long as humans have?”
“Well yeah, there have been all sorts of crazy, terrible ideas for a very long time, too,” Knowles responded. “You’re pointing to civilizations that committed human sacrifice. You’re saying that some ancient pagan tribe worshiped demons, and therefore we need to castrate children. That’s not a good argument.”
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Knowles cited the Aztecs, who slaughtered as many as 80,000 people over the course of four days, according to some historical estimates. He added that today, we still commit human sacrifice when we abort hundreds of thousands of unborn babies through abortion each year.
“It would make the Aztecs blush, what we do,” Knowles said.
Knowles told the student that the ostensibly Native American concept of “two-spirit” is “not real,” but a “contrivance of white liberals.”
Knowles said the fundamental question is whether a man can become a woman and vice versa.
“We all know that the answer to that question is false.”
Knowles went on to ask the student how we can know someone is a woman if they look like a man, to which the student asked why it is important for Knowles to know someone else’s gender identity.
“So this is what happens whenever you ask a transgender activist to explain even the basic premise of the movement,” Knowles said.
“I’m not obsessed with this. I’m not the one who started sending men into the women’s bathroom and taking away their trophies and castrating kids,” Knowles. “It is at least my right to ask the question, okay, ‘what is the premise of your movement?’”
A moment that drew laughs from the crowd came when the student referenced “Turtle Island, which is the nation that we live under.”
“I don’t live under Turtle Island,” Knowles said.