Rutgers University professor Gary Francione, who voted for Kamala Harris, decries the party's 'deplorable' turn
College professor leaves Democratic Party citing 'deeply problematic' issue
Rutgers University professor Gary Francione, a former Democrat, explains why he left the party after voting for former Vice President Kamala Harris in the last election.
A Rutgers University professor says he's left the Democratic Party for good despite voting for Kamala Harris last November, driven away by the left's "deeply problematic" approach to women's rights.
"I'm troubled by this transgender issue. As a progressive, I believe in women's rights, and I think that it's deeply problematic for men to be claiming the ability to define and determine who's a member of the class of women," Gary Francione said Monday on "Fox & Friends First."
"I'm a liberal pluralist in the sense that I believe that people ought to live and look and love how they wish," he continued.
"But I don't think that freedom extends to when you're harming others, and I think when you're going into women's toilets or being on their sports teams or getting into their shower or shower rooms or changing rooms or prisons or whatever, I think that's problematic."
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Rutgers University professor Gary Francione, a progressive, has fled the Democratic Party over the transgender issue. (Fox & Friends First)
Francione, a professor of law, described being jaded by the Democratic Party's shift from class issues and income disparities to a focus on identity politics.
Democrats' opposition to the GOP-backed The Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act was the final straw.
"The Democratic reaction to that bill… I thought was just deplorable, and I decided that enough was enough," he said.
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Democrats' objection to protecting biological women's sports drove professor Gary Francione from the Democratic Party. (Mike Kemp/In Pictures via Getty Images)
Two House Democrats – Reps. Henry Cuellar and Vicente Gonzalez, both of Texas – voted to support the bill, while Democratic Rep. Don Davis of North Carolina voted present.
Francione also believes Democrats' voting base has shifted from the blue-collar American to agenda-driven elitists.
"The important thing is working people aren't voting for Democrats anymore. That's the really important thing," he said. "The Democratic Party is now becoming the party of identity politics elites and not the party of working people. And that's the problem."
Taylor Penley is an associate editor with Fox News.
