'Threats of eradication': University retracts claim that Michael Knowles called for genocide of transgender people

The University at Buffalo retracted a statement on the homepage of its media studies website that accused political commentator Michael Knowles of threatening the "eradication and genocide" of transgender people.

In what Knowles described as a "permanent denouncement of me for saying men and women are different," the Department of Media Study issued the following statement on its homepage:

"The faculty of the Media Study department stand in solidarity with the transgender community and others who have been the target of Michael Knowles’ rhetoric and threats of eradication and genocide," the website stated. "While we are committed to the free and open exchange of ideas, we are also committed to inclusiveness, social justice and respect for all."

"There is no space for hate speech as there can be no open exchange of ideas without inclusion, justice, and respect. We view Knowles’ public appearance on our campus as contrary to the values and aims of our academic community," it concluded.

Knowles told Blaze News he was "as surprised as anyone" to find out that he was featured on the department website.

"I am denounced, repeatedly, for apparently having called for genocide," Knowles stated, still confused by the claim.

He then tried to make sense of why the university made the statement:

"I've only visited the University at Buffalo on one occasion. ... I was invited to give a speech. The speech was on feminism, [but] then I was denounced for observing that transgenderism isn't real ... in a different speech, that I gave more than two years ago, at a different event in Washington, D.C.," the commentator recalled.

The university was likely referring to false headlines that incorrectly quoted Knowles as saying he wanted to eradicate transgender people.

The claim came from a speech Knowles gave at CPAC in 2023 when he spoke about radical ideologies permeating through society. His actual quote said that "for the good of the poor people" who have become confused about their gender, "transgenderism must be eradicated from public life entirely."

Knowles subsequently called out publications, including the Rolling Stone, for potential libel after they ran headlines that claimed he called for "transgender people to be 'eradicated.'"

'One cannot simply go about accusing other people of calling for genocide.'

Knowles was surprised to learn that after less than 48 hours, the Media Study Department at the University at Buffalo removed the potentially defamatory statement.

"I suspect the reason they took it down is not because they like me all of a sudden or they realize a man can't really become a woman. I suspect the reason they took it down is the same reason Rolling Stone changed its defamatory headline about me. ... They were legally liable for libel," Knowles laughed.

The Daily Wire host, while generally dejected about the state of justice in the United States, noted that while American law sets a high threshold for libelous statements, there is still a line that can't be crossed.

"Even in our corrupted political system, one cannot simply go about accusing other people of calling for genocide," Knowles stated.

The 34-year-old concluded by saying that gender ideology is being peddled at the highest levels for political gain, despite the obvious falsehood that a man can be a woman and a woman can become a man.

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!