Michigan Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed clashed with Fox News host Jesse Watters over medical care for transgender minors during a contentious interview. El-Sayed argued that healthcare decisions involving minors should remain between patients, parents and doctors rather than the government. The exchange took an unexpected turn when he asked Watters whether he was circumcised while arguing that conservatives were selective about which medical procedures involving children should face government restrictions.
The discussion aired on Fox News, where Watters directly asked El-Sayed whether he supported what the host described as “sex changes for minors.” El-Sayed responded that the government should not determine what healthcare someone receives.
For minors, he said those decisions should involve the patient, doctor, and parents. Watters accused him of dodging the question, prompting another defense of keeping government outside medical decisions.
“If you disagree with that, then I just think we agree to disagree,” El-Sayed said.
Watters then asked whether he believed a parent should be allowed to approve surgery on a child’s genitals. Instead of answering directly, El-Sayed asked Watters whether he was circumcised.
“That’s a personal question, doctor,” Watters replied.
The conversation continued as Watters asked whether circumcision was different from castration. El-Sayed again argued that parents, doctors and patients should determine medical care without government interference.
“Yes, circumcision is surgery on a kid’s ding-a-ling,” he said. He accused Watters of being selective about which procedures involving minors drew objections.
Watters rejected the argument as “wacky.” He told El-Sayed that “Michigan’s not going for that” and called it “sick stuff.”
The transgender debate continued beyond medical care. Watters also pressed El-Sayed about transgender participation in women’s sports. El-Sayed argued that sports governing bodies should make those decisions and expressed frustration with the direction of the interview, saying Watters had not asked him about the issues he believed Michigan voters actually cared about.
‘That’s a Personal Question, Doctor’: El-Sayed’s Circumcision Response Draws Backlash
The exchange quickly drew criticism over the circumcision comparison, although some users defended the broader point behind his response.
“Circumcison is not sex change PERIOD!” one user wrote. Another stated, “Equating circumcision to castration is like equating a haircut to a lobotomy.”
Others focused on how he handled Watters’ questioning. “I finally had to mute this interview. El-Sayed never answered any questions, just walked sideways like a crab (not to disparage crabs),” one user wrote.
Some users disagreed with that reading. “That’s not remotely what he’s saying, but apparently you idiots can’t grasp the basic point being made here. And he’s right,” another wrote.
The interview ended without El-Sayed giving Watters the direct yes-or-no answer he repeatedly sought on specific gender-transition procedures for minors. Instead, El-Sayed stuck to his broader argument that those medical decisions belong with patients, parents and doctors. But judging by the reaction to his circumcision question, that was the part of his answer many viewers were unlikely to forget.
