Some Christian leaders are criticizing Fox News for hiring Caitlyn Jenner, the former Olympic athlete previously known as Bruce Jenner.
Tomi Lahren, who hosts “No Interruption” on the streaming service Fox Nation, first broke the news about Jenner on social media.
“Proud to welcome @Caitlyn_Jenner to the Fox News family,” she tweeted. “She is a kind and wonderful human who fights harder for freedom and American values than most. Anyone who says any different likely hasn’t met her or given her a chance. I am proud to call her a friend and now a colleague!”
Several pastors took issue with the network’s decision to hire Jenner, who is transgender, amid the media outlet’s conservative editorial stance.
“Jenner is male,” Reformed Baptist pastor John Carpenter tweeted in response to Fox News’s post referring to Jenner by a female pronoun. “In English, we use ‘he’ for males. If you can’t tell the truth about simple biology, how are we supposed to trust you with the news?”
“Dear @FoxNews: The moment Bruce Jenner appears on my screen on Fox is the moment you join MSNBC and CNN,” theologian James White wrote. “Cancelled. And believe me, I am not alone,”
When asked why he would stop watching Fox News after Jenner appeared on screen, White pointed to the network’s use of female pronouns when referring to Jenner. Jenner was born male but identifies as female. “A man pretending to be a woman, accepting lies (pronouns) from ostensible conservatives, is an insult in any sane, moral world,” he said.
Jenner, who ran for governor in California’s recall election in 2021, is an outspoken conservative. Jenner has publicly backed Texas’ Heartbeat Law, which bans abortions at six weeks of pregnancy, and has openly voiced disapproval of the NCAA’s declaration that transgender athlete Lia Thomas won the 500-yard women’s freestyle swimming championship.
“As you might know, I am trans,” Jenner told Fox host Sean Hannity. “But I’m not a trans activist. That’s just one part of my life. There’s so much more to me. I think in the midterms coming up, LGBT issues are going to be big issues. And I’m looking forward to covering those. But there’s so much more to me than that.”
Jenner has been outspoken defender of women’s sports and criticized trans activist attempts to allow biological males on female sports teams.
Jenner said it’s unfair for transgender women such as “Lia” Thomas to compete in women’s sports. Thomas, a 22-year-old University of Pennsylvania senior, has been setting records and crushing competitors this season for the women’s swim team, re-electrifying one of more recent battles in the culture wars — how transgender athletes participate in competitive sports.
“We need to protect women’s sports,” said Jenner, who won a gold medal and set a world record in the decathlon at the 1976 Olympics in Montreal.
Jenner’s conservative views have confused many who grapple with what they see as a contradiction. For example, in an appearance on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” Jenner expressed reticence to affirm same-sex marriage, comments that left DeGeneres and others grappling to gain a coherent picture of Jenner’s worldview.
Jenner has been unrelenting in criticism of biological males on women’s teams.
“We must protect women’s sports. We cannot bow down to the radical left wing woke world and the radical politically charged agenda of identity politics,” Jenner tweeted. In another tweet Jenner said;
“Thank you @seanhannity and @HeyTammyBruce for having a conversation grounded in common sense. All we want to do is protect women’s and girls sports! It’s that simple. And calling out the libelous, defamatory lies of @PinkNews and @emilychudy@benjamincohen.”
–Alan Goforth | Metro Voice