Updated
Updated · Fox News · Jul 21
Smithsonian Director Dodges 3 Gender Questions at House Hearing as GOP Targets Museum Displays
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Jul 21

Smithsonian Director Dodges 3 Gender Questions at House Hearing as GOP Targets Museum Displays

3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Jul 21

Summary

  • Rep. Nancy Mace pressed Anthea Hartig on whether men can become women, what a woman is, and how many genders exist, but the Smithsonian museum director repeatedly declined to give direct answers.
  • The exchange came at a House hearing on alleged political activism at the National Museum of American History, where Republicans highlighted displays involving drag queens and glossary language about countries recognizing three or more genders.
  • Hartig instead said the questions were not relevant, asked which glossary Mace meant, and defended the museum's approach as seeking to represent rather than categorize Americans.
  • The confrontation followed a 162-page White House report issued July 4 that accused the museum of ideological capture; Hartig told lawmakers the Smithsonian was fact-checking the report and that it mischaracterized the museum's work.

Insights

How will this hearing shape the future of storytelling in American museums?
When a national museum faces government scrutiny, who decides what history is told?