Just one week after Democrat lawmakers — including progressive congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez — pushed back against the GOP-led Protection of Women and Girls in Sports act, prominent Democrats are so upset at the backlash, they are decided to quit the Democratic Party and join the GOP.
Last week, AOC and House Minority Leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., argued on the House of Representatives floor that the law would enable sexual predators to give genital examinations to young girls.
But words directly within the bill itself contradict anything AOC lamented.
Republicans insisted that no genital inspection would ever be necessary and that proof of birth gender could simply be determined with a birth certificate, as drafted in the bill.
But AOC’s tactic has officially turned off voters within her own party — even those with staunch records in inclusiveness.
This tactic has alienated some of the party’s loyal voters, who have unregistered as Democrats in response.
Take prominent Rutgers law professor Gary Francione, for example. He has been a lifelong Democrat dating back to the 1970s.
In November’s general elections, he voted for Vice President Kamala Harris and Rep. Chrissy Houlahan, D-Pa., who was one of 206 Democrats to vote against the bill last Tuesday.
Francione, who is an advocate for LGBTQ rights, abortion rights and even a vegan and animal rights abolitionist, said he was so offended by the Democrat representatives who tried to tie the bill to empowering child predators that he unregistered as a Democrat after last Tuesday’s hearing.
“That just made me very upset because it screamed out lack of integrity, lack of honesty,” Francione told Fox News.
“This is the way you fight battles? By trying to insult other people who oppose you and disagree with you and insinuate that they’re child molesters or pedophiles? It seems to me you’ve lost the game. … I don’t know how they’re ever going to come back from this.”
Francione has a lifelong network of other Democrats in the field of law and other industries, and he says many of them share his beliefs and will also be unregistering from the party.
“I can say confidently of the people I know who are Democrats who I’ve spoken to, the vast majority of them are very unhappy about all of this stuff and feel that the party has lost its way,” Francione said. “I know a couple who said they are going to [unregister].”
Francione initially announced his departure from the party in a viral post on X over the weekend.
In light of the irresponsible and unhinged comments of @AOC, @RepJayapal, @RepJerryNadler and others concerning the bill to keep males out of girls'/women's sports, and the 206 Democratic votes against the bill, I have, after decades as a Democrat, registered as an Independent.
— Prof. Gary Francione (@garylfrancione) January 19, 2025
Many of his thousands of followers replied insisting they would follow his lead in unregistering from the party in response to the congressional representatives’ attempt to tie the bill to empowering sexual predators.
“This is what I have done. That is when I drew the line and swapped registration,” one user replied.
“I know the feeling. They drive you to it. Welcome to the club,” another wrote.
Francione told Fox News the idea of allowing trans athletes to compete against females is “discriminatory” against girls and women.
He also called the Democrat argument against the bill “insane” and “irresponsible.”
“I thought it was very unfair to the large number of very decent people who are concerned about fairness and safety in women’s sports,” he said.
“These young girls, they train hard, they work hard, and then they get things taken away from them by men!”
Even former U.S. Olympic cyclist Inga Thompson admitted in a recent interview that even though she’s a lifelong Democrat, she was hopeful for President Donald Trump’s incoming presidency because of his stance on protecting women and girls in sports.