Rep. Mary Miller to Newsmax: Cardone's Response on Gender No Surprise

Rep. Mary Miller, who got into a heated exchange with Education Secretary Miguel Cardona after he refused to say how many genders there are, told Newsmax Tuesday she wasn't surprised when he rejected her questions.

"I think when the Democrats are asked to be transparent or to give accounts for their legislation or what they're pushing on the American people, they either deflect, they lie, they vilify the person asking, (or) they refuse to answer," the Illinois Republican said on Newsmax's "National Report."

During congressional testimony, Miller asked Cardona about an example he had used of a teacher who said that it is a "biological fact" that there are only two genders as an example of harassment, and asked him to define the number of genders that there are.

Miller told Newsmax that she considered the question to be important because, under Cardona's leadership, the document about the teacher and her gender comment is being used as a guideline to schools.

"It's truly shocking the position they're taking," Miller said. "I reminded him that he's on the wrong side of the issue. Americans want their girls, their daughters, to feel safe in private spaces, bathrooms, and locker rooms. We want to preserve girls' athletics. Title IX was established to give girls and women athletic opportunities and when sex is referred to in Title IX, guarantee you that they meant biological and genetic."

Title IX, originally approved in 1972, protects people from discrimination based on sex in education programs or activities that receive federal financial assistance, according to the Department of Education.

However, last week, the department issued a notice of interpretation explaining that it will also enforce the prohibition on discrimination to include discrimination based on sexual orientation and on gender identity.

Miller, a mother of seven children and a grandmother to 17, said that she's been highly involved in education, and parents and teachers alike are also upset critical race theory is being taught in schools.

"I've had lifetime teachers come up to me, career educators, that say they love what they're doing, but they are going to refuse to teach some of these things," said Miller. "They sadly tell me they're going to have to resign. I've had administrators, regional superintendents of schools say that they are not going to allow this to come into the schools."

There is also "not enough time in the day" to teach core subjects that parents want their children to learn, said Miller.

The congresswoman also commented on mask requirements for schools, saying it's up to parents to decide, but she does not think mask-wearing should be enforced, nor should requiring college students to be vaccinated before returning to classes, as she thinks "people should make their own medical choices."

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