Senate Republicans use Pete Hegseth’s confirmation hearing to demean trans people

Senate Republicans have been criticised for making demeaning jokes about trans people during the confirmation hearing of Pete Hegseth, Donald Trump’s nominee for secretary of defense. 

So-called “anti-woke” Fox News host Pete Hegseth, who has opposed women serving on the front lines in the military and described homosexuality as “abnormal”, underwent his Senate confirmation hearing on Tuesday (14 January), where he endured intense questioning from Democrats. 

Hegseth was questioned over his views on women, his divisive rhetoric, allegations of misconduct, and his qualifications to become secretary of defense – while his wife, Jennifer, 39, looked on.

Republican senator Tim Sheehy was criticised for a demeaning joke he made during his questioning of Hegseth – which also involved asking how many push-ups he could do, and what brand of batteries he uses in his equipment. 

Sheehy, who took office as a senator on 3 January, asked Hegseth, “how many genders are there?”

Hegseth responded, “Senator, there are two genders,” leading Sheehy to make a joke about his surname, appearing to mock trans people in the process. 

“I know that well,” Sheehy said. “I’m a ‘she-he,’ so I’m on board.” 

Pete Hegseth, 44, was questioned for more than four hours about his ability to run the defence department, including its $849bn (£695bn) budget. 

Hegseth’s views on diversity and inclusion came up repeatedly, with Democratic senator Jack Reed questioning his previous claims that “diversity is not our strength” in the military, and “we should not have women in combat roles.”

New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand criticised Hegseth’s support of now-defunct “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policies in the military, which meant that LGBTQ+ people could serve, but they had to remain closeted. Hegseth also opposes trans troops in the military. 

“If you’re a sharpshooter, you’re lethal regardless of what your gender identity is, regardless of who you love,” she said. 

During the hearing, Hegseth explained that he no longer believes that women should not serve in combat roles, adding that he would be “honoured” to serve alongside “men and women, black, white, all backgrounds with a shared purpose”. 

Senator Tim Kaine questioned Hegseth on a 2017 accusation of sexual assault. Hegseth has denied any wrongdoing, adding that he was “falsely charged – completely, fully investigated, and completely cleared”

During the hearing, Hegseth claimed the allegations were part of a “coordinated smear campaign” by the left-wing media. “They want to destroy me.”

Kaine criticised Hegseth’s response to the questioning, asking: “You can’t tell me whether someone who has committed a sexual assault is disqualified from serving as secretary of defense?”

Jack Reed, the top Democrat on the committee, added that he believes Hegseth is not qualified to “meet the overwhelming demands of this job”.

“Unfortunately, you lack the character and composure and competence to hold the position of defence,” he concluded.

When will we know if Pete Hegseth is confirmed?

According to CNN, Senate Armed Services Committee member Sen. Markwayne Mullin, a Republican, said that fellow GOP Sen. Joni Ernst’s commitment to vote for Pete Hegseth “all but confirms” the president-elect’s Cabinet pick will be confirmed as Defense Secretary.

This support from Ernst means Hegseth’s nomination is expected to have enough votes to advance to the Senate floor and increases the likelihood he will be confirmed. But that could still take a while.

The time it takes for a nominee to be confirmed can vary. CNN say that “the process has also gotten much slower in recent years,” adding: “When Trump started his first term, he had two confirmations for 26 nominees. When Biden took office in 2021, he had one confirmation for 36 nominees. The slowness continues.”

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