Stifling his laugher, Carlson then shifted from a political argument to a scientific argument, asking Petkanas what criteria can be used to determine whether someone is male or female if biology is irrelevant. “My obvious question to you is: how do I know if a person is male or female, is there some absolute standard that people have to meet to be male or female other than what they say?”
“One’s gender identity is enough to show what gender they are, and so if you’re confused about that then I leave that to your level of enlightenment,” Petkanas began before Carlson interrupted, reminding him that the question wasn’t about “moral status,” again pressing Petkanas to answer the question.
“There are massive implications of this that everyone is either too dumb or too embarrassed to explore, but let’s do so now,” Carlson began. “If your sex is what you say it is, then what prevents me from playing on a women’s field hockey team? What prevents me from getting convicted of a felony and demanding to go to a women’s prison? It’s a real question.”
Petkanas attempted to brush off his statement, claiming it wasn’t a real question, but Carlson continued. “I want to know if you’re a man or a woman, I’m a scientist,” he asked as a hypothetical statement, “how do I find out?”