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Lindsey Graham slammed a local gym in Goodyear, Arizona, for allowing Paul Bixler, a transgender school board member at Liberty Elementary, to use the women's changing room. The 41-year-old accused Bixler of entering the female locker room at Esporta, a fitness club, while she was half-n*ked and staring at her br*asts.
Trigger warning: This article contains mentions of transphobia and has details of the misgendering of a transperson. Discretion is advised.
Lindsey Graham, a mother of three, is a conservative author and podcast host for Patriot Barbie. She shared a recording of Paul entering the female locker room on her Instagram where she can be heard shouting:
"Why isn't anyone warning the women? I hope there is no one undressing in there."
Graham reported the incident to the police, who reasoned that since she (Bixler) had bottom surgery, she was allowed to use the changing room. However, Graham claimed that the police were "forced to comply."
Paul Bixler transitioned in 2017 after the death of her wife
Paul Bixler is a retired teacher and principal from Ohio. After a short stint with the United States Navy and Marine Corps, she earned her university degree. She has devoted most of her life to public education and retired in 2009.
In an interview with 12News, she explained that came out of retirement post-pandemic to help bring "some stability" with her expertise to the board. She was elected to be on the school board in 2020.
The 72-year-old explained that as a child she always knew she was different. She said that her story wasn't all that different from other transgender women. Bixler noted that she was pretty sure what her identity was by the time she was eleven or twelve years old. However, she also knew that society at the time was very conservative and she believed coming out would be too risky for her both professionally and personally.
The former teacher met her wife, Candace while working at Camelback High School. The pair were married for 36 years and have two children. Taking about her wife, Bixler stated that her wife knew about her identity and added:
"But it was absolutely clear that it was uncomfortable, and I didn't want to risk that. I loved her more than me."
Paul said following her wife's death due to cancer in 2017, the former transitioned and now identifies as a woman. The teacher was happy to receive support from her family, including her twin sister and children.
Graham previously protested Paul Bixler being a part of the school board by dressing up as a cat
Paul came out of retirement and was elected to the Liberty School Board in 2020 following the pandemic. She is slated to serve as a member until December 2024.
In December 2022, Lindsey Graham protested against Paul Bixler's membership on the board at a school meeting. Dressed in a catsuit, she mocked the former principal's gender identity as Graham claimed she was a cat. While she didn't address Bixler by name, she made it clear that she was referring to the principal. She stated:
"I'm a cat. Meow, meow. I'm not a woman dressed as a cat. I am a cat."
The mother-of-three then questioned everyone present if they believed she was a cat. When no one raised their hands, she explained that "truth prevails over imagination," which is why she is a woman dressed and posing as a cat.
She misgendered the former teacher, claiming that Paul Bixler was "very clearly a man" and added that the only thing Bixler did to identify as female was to put on lipstick. Graham also made some transphobic comments about Bixler's looks and clothes.
The incident led to personal attacks from many within the community demanding Bixler's resignation who repeatedly misgendered her.
In her interview with 12News, a stunned and saddened Bixler remarked:
"This is not a choice. I do not choose to be transgender."
Paul Bixler is yet to comment on the incident. No charges were filed against her.
