El-Sayed says transgender athletes debate is manufactured, drawing fire from Rogers
Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed said he is "not running to govern sports" when asked about transgender athletes in girls' sports, calling the issue manufactured. His opponent, Republican Mike Rogers, quickly used the remark in his campaign.
Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed said he was "not running to govern sports" when pressed on transgender athletes during a "60 Minutes" interview, suggesting the issue is manufactured and drawing swift criticism from his Republican rival. The exchange, aired on CBS, has become a flashpoint in a closely watched race for the Senate seat held by retiring Democrat Gary Peters.
The question came as correspondent Ross Douthat asked a broader question about parental control over education and tensions between some Muslim voters and cultural liberalism. Douthat cited what schools teach and the participation of transgender students on sports teams as examples of areas where "rights are in conflict," and asked how those disagreements should be resolved. "I don't know that that's actually true," El-Sayed responded. "I think we manufacture these social issues." He added that it is "not who gets to play what sport" that should be settled by a candidate for office, but by those who govern sports.
El-Sayed went on to argue that smartphones and the internet make it unrealistic for parents to shield children from ideas they find objectionable. He said parents should explain their beliefs and help children navigate what they encounter, and called the free flow of information "a beautiful thing." He then accused people who emphasize cultural disputes of diverting attention from economic problems. "A lot of the cultural war issues that get fought right now are about trying to distract us from the fact that we can't afford our gas, can't afford our groceries, can't see a doctor," he said. El-Sayed did not specify which eligibility rules sports organizations should adopt, or whether he would support federal legislation restricting transgender athletes' participation in girls' and women's sports.
Rogers posted a clip of the answer on X, and it drew widespread criticism of the Democrat online. The two candidates have taken sharply different positions on the issue. During his 2024 Senate campaign, Rogers signed Independent Women's Voice's Stand With Women Commitment, promising to support legislation preserving female opportunities and private spaces. "Biological men should not be competing with our daughters, period," he said at the time. He also made the issue part of an Aug. 28 campaign advertisement released with the National Republican Senatorial Committee as part of what his campaign described as a coordinated seven-figure advertising buy. In the ad, Rogers said, "Abdul thinks football is bad, but men playing in women's sports is good."
El-Sayed's past position differs from his current framing. In a March 2018 interview during his campaign for Michigan governor, he said the state should "protect access to bathrooms, to locker rooms, to sports teams of choice for young people." He argued that exclusion could compound bullying and mental-health problems for transgender students, and that government had a responsibility to protect them.
The dispute has also produced federal scrutiny and litigation in Michigan. The U.S. Education Department announced on June 18 that it was opening Title IX investigations into Ann Arbor Public Schools, Monroe Public Schools and Chippewa Valley School District over allegations concerning athletic participation and locker-room access based on gender identity. The announcement opened investigations; it did not establish that any district had violated the law. In October, Monroe volleyball player Briley Lechner and her father sued Monroe Public Schools, the Michigan High School Athletic Association and district officials, alleging that school officials concealed an opposing transgender player's participation and allowed the teams to share locker-room facilities. Monroe's superintendent said in April that an independent investigation found the district's Title IX allegations unsubstantiated. On Oct. 13, the Monroe school board voted 5-2 to restrict girls' sports and girls' locker rooms to biological females, according to CBS Detroit.
At the college level, the NCAA changed its policy in February 2025 following President Donald Trump's executive order on women's sports. Its rules prohibit athletes assigned male at birth from competing on women's teams, while permitting them to practice with those teams. Congress has also taken up the question. On March 3, 2025, a motion to advance the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act received 51 votes in favor and 45 against, falling short of the three-fifths threshold required to proceed.
CBS released extended candidate interviews alongside its Sunday broadcast. The Michigan Senate race will be decided in Tuesday's election, with El-Sayed and Rogers competing for the seat Peters is leaving.
Source: foxnews.com
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