U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, representing New York's 14th congressional district, defended the rights of transgender individuals in sports and public spaces during a speech at More Perfect University. The event, a progressive campus program launched in April 2026 by the advocacy media nonprofit More Perfect Union, featured Ocasio-Cortez speaking alongside Maine Senate candidate Troy Jackson. When a student identified as a transgender male from the University of Southern Maine expressed feeling abandoned by the Democratic Party, Ocasio-Cortez responded that compromising the rights of one trans person compromises the rights of every American citizen.
Ocasio-Cortez argued that basic rights are guaranteed by American citizenship regardless of identity or occupation. She stated that the focus of conservative groups on transgender Americans is disproportionate, noting that trans Americans constitute approximately 1% of the population, a figure later corrected by the student to 3%. The representative claimed that political attention to this group is a distraction from broader issues, including what she described as attacks on Title IX. She characterized Title IX as a federal protection for gender equality and women's safety, asserting that opposition to trans athletes in sports is part of a larger agenda to undermine these protections.
The discussion included references to legal cases and political strategies. Ocasio-Cortez compared the administration's stance on trans athletes to campus safety issues, suggesting that attacks on trans girls in sports are linked to attacks on women's ability to address abuse and assault. She criticized the use of political resources to focus on transgender issues, describing it as an effort to distract from other priorities. The student present challenged some of her statistics, raising three fingers to indicate a higher population percentage for trans-identifying Americans.
Ocasio-Cortez concluded by stating that the Democratic Party will not dismantle the Constitution, eliminate Title IX, or defund healthcare to address a small percentage of the population. Her remarks were met with applause from the audience. The piece references specific incidents, such as the Camas High School cross-country team and Washington State's Initiative 638, a November ballot measure seeking to restrict K-12 athletic categories by biological sex at birth. The text also mentions the Cornell 7 case, where male students were accused of drugging and raping a female student, which Ocasio-Cortez reportedly equated to attacks on trans women through Title IX.