A video clip of Michigan Chief Deputy Superintendent Dr. Sue Carnell responding to a question about gender definitions circulated [1] widely on social media this week, drawing significant attention as the state finalized new sex education standards.
The exchange took place on October 28 during a hearing in the Michigan Legislature.
In the clip, which was resurfaced on X by LibsofTikTok on Sunday and viewed more than two million times, Republican state Rep. Jay DeBoyer asked Carnell, “How many genders are there?”
Carnell smiled and paused without answering. DeBoyer repeated the question: “How many genders are there?”
Carnell replied, “Different people have different beliefs on that.”
The clip’s circulation drew reactions from several conservative figures.
Former Michigan Republican gubernatorial candidate Tudor Dixon said in a statement to Fox News Digital, “Democrats want to sexualize every facet of the curriculum and the MBOE is imposing its radical ideology on all Michigan K-12 schools.”
Michigan state Sen. Aric Nesbitt posted on X, “3/4 Michigan kids can’t read at grade level. When you realize these are the people in charge of education in Michigan, that number starts to make a lot more sense.”
Roger Severino, vice president at the Heritage Foundation, posted, “Surprised progressives are still not prepared for the ‘what is a woman’ question when they testify at hearings. You would think they would have come up with something better than ‘I’m not a biologist’ (as Justice Jackson said) by now.”
Conservative influencer Paul A. Szypula reacted by posting, “This is beyond embarrassing. If a person can’t answer how many genders there are then they shouldn’t be allowed to vote.”
Political commentator Wesley Yang posted, “She is caught in the grips of an institutionalized mania.”
Carnell, in a statement to Fox News Digital, addressed the broader context of her testimony.
She said, “What I want people to know about gender identity is what’s in the update to the Michigan Health Education Standards Guidelines. It’s not about gotcha questions. It’s about providing local school districts with research-based information about health topics and including a few standards about gender identity areas for consideration by local schools.”
Carnell said the guidelines are intended to ensure students can, by the end of eighth grade, “Define gender identity, gender expression, and sexual orientation, and explain that they are distinct components of every individual’s identity” and “explain how biological sex, gender identity, and gender expression are distinct concepts and how they interact with each other.”
The Michigan State Board of Education last week approved new sex education standards after a 6–2 vote.
The standards include recommendations that students be taught about gender identity and sexual orientation.
The updates drew objections from parents, pastors, and several lawmakers who argued that the changes undermine parental authority and conflict with religious views.
Dixon told Fox News Digital, “Despite serious concerns from parents and legislators, board members passed this controversial far left change while the state already had standards.”
Following the vote, the Michigan Department of Education said the standards serve as guidance rather than mandates.
“The standards provide guidance to local school districts and, as in previous versions, local control remains in place and parents retain the right to decide whether their children should participate in sex education instruction,” the Department said in a news release.
The Department added that local boards determine curriculum for their districts.
“Local boards of education determine the health curriculum for their districts which may include sex education curriculum — if the district decides to offer sex ed— that has been reviewed by local sex education advisory boards that must include 50% parent representation,” the statement said.