Daily Wire host Michael Knowles was met with protestors and others as he addressed improperly cited criticism that he sought "genocide" for transgender-identifying people while delivering a speech on feminism at a New York State university last night.
Critics of the Daily Wire Host shouted "trans lives matter" during the beginning of Knowles' speech "How Feminism Destroys Women (And Everything Else)" at the University at Buffalo (UB) hosted by the Young America's Foundation.
Some of those opposed to Knowles' appearance on campus took issue with his recent speech at the Conservative Political Action Coalition (CPAC), which legacy media and other liberal-leaning outlets improperly cited — and later retracted — by suggesting Knowles was in favor of "genocide" regarding transgender identifying individuals.
Knowles jokingly referred to protestors in the crowd by saying, "Even though they’re trying to interrupt the talk, they are showing a lot of bravery for even coming into this auditorium with such an allegedly genocidal maniac."
“I didn’t know that I was a genocidal maniac before this week,” Knowles continued. “But I read about it in Rolling Stone and The Daily Beast and The Huffington Post. … I’m just not really a ‘genocide’ kind of guy.”
The protestors attempted to thwart Knowles' speech when he took the stage by chanting "Trans lives matter!"
"Trans lives matter," Knowles repeated back from the lectern. "OK, I think I've got it. Do you have anything else to say? Just that? OK. ... Does anyone have a pen so I can write that down?"
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UB's independent student publication The Spectrum cited Knowles' CPAC speech in a March 9 article covering the timeline of events during the Daily Wire host's appearance on campus last night.
University police reportedly arrested one individual who was charged with harassment, disorderly conduct and resisting arrest, according to the outlet.
Despite pushback from students, UB released a statement Monday citing the First Amendment in regards to Knowles' appearance on campus.
"As a public university, UB must uphold the principles of the First Amendment and cannot disallow student groups from inviting controversial speakers to campus, even if the views of the speaker, or content of the speech, is hurtful or demeaning," the statement read. "As UB has seen in the past, speakers may hold opinions contrary to its own or make comments that can polarize the campus as they do the nation. This does not change our core beliefs as a university."
"Please know that our commitment to transgender inclusion is stronger than one speaker and one event," said Director of UB's Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Sharon Nolan-Weiss. "It is ongoing and will continue through our policies, our educational offerings, our resources, and our interactions."
At CPAC, Knowles criticized transgender ideology suggesting the idea "puts forward a delusional vision of human nature that denies the reality and importance of sexual difference and complementarity."
"The problem with transgenderism is that its acceptance at any level necessarily entails the complete destruction of women’s bathrooms, women’s sports, all of the specific rights and spaces that women currently have for themselves," Knowles continued.If transgenderism is true — if men really can become women and women really can become men — then it is true for everybody of all ages. If transgenderism is false, as it is — if men and women really are different, as we are — then it is false for everybody too. And if it is false, then we should not indulge it, especially since that indulgence requires taking away the rights and customs of so many people.
Following Knowles' speech at CPAC, outlets including the Daily Beast released articles titled: "Michael Knowles Says Transgender Community Must Be 'Eradicated' At CPAC."
The Daily Wire host noted the miscited framing of the outlet's article and demanded a retraction. The outlet corrected their mistake shortly after, retitling the article "Michael Knowles Says Transgenderism Must Be ‘Eradicated’ at CPAC."
