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WATCH: Smithsonian history museum director stumbles over basic questions on sex: ‘I’m not sure’
Anthea Hartig, director of the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History, struggled to answer basic questions about sex and gender when questioned by Republican congresswoman Nancy Mace during a House hearing. The hearing focused on allegations of "extreme political activism" in the Smithsonian's exhibits, with Mace pressing Hartig on whether men can become women. The exchange has drawn attention as part of a wider Republican push to scrutinise the Smithsonian Institution's approach to gender and identity in its displays.
Mace, a Republican representative for South Carolina, directly asked Hartig, "Do you believe that men can become women?", to which Hartig reportedly hesitated and appeared unable to give a clear answer. The clip has circulated as an example of what Republican critics describe as ideological bias within the federally funded museum. The full exchange formed part of broader questioning by House Republicans into the Smithsonian's exhibits and institutional stance on gender-related issues.
In short
- Nancy Mace questioned Smithsonian director Anthea Hartig on gender
- Hartig struggled to answer whether men can become women
- Part of a House hearing into alleged Smithsonian "political activism"
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Federal institutions receiving public funding should be transparent about their institutional positions on matters central to their exhibits. When a director cannot provide clear answers to straightforward questions from elected representatives during legitimate oversight, it reasonably raises concerns about whether institutional policies lack coherence or are being concealed. Accountability to the taxpayers and representatives who fund these institutions is a core democratic principle.
The case against
The question of whether men can become women involves contested philosophical and scientific concepts that cannot be responsibly reduced to simple affirmation or denial. A responsible institutional leader should provide nuanced, accurate responses rather than soundbites designed to satisfy political opponents. What appears as evasion may reflect the appropriate complexity of the subject matter, and interpreting professional caution as ideological activism conflates institutional prudence with actual bias.
Explained simply
The Smithsonian Institution is a collection of federally funded museums and research centres in the United States. The National Museum of American History is one of its most prominent institutions and frequently attracts public and political scrutiny over how its exhibits present historical and contemporary topics.
Debates about how museums represent gender and identity have become increasingly prominent in American politics. Some Republican lawmakers have voiced concerns about what they contend is ideological bias in how certain cultural institutions present these topics in their exhibits.
Congressional Republicans have been scrutinising the Smithsonian's approach to gender and identity in its displays. Anthea Hartig directs the National Museum of American History, and Nancy Mace, a Republican congresswoman from South Carolina, questioned her during a House hearing.