Transgender-identifying actor Laverne Cox argued that policies banning biological men from women’s sports amount to “genocide,” saying that such measures are intended to dehumanize people.

Cox, who appears in the upcoming film Animal Farm, made the remarks during a red carpet interview for the movie. 

“At the heart of every genocide is dehumanization [and] when we stop seeing our fellow citizens as human, then we can commit violence against them with impunity, take away their rights,” Cox said. “I think what we’ve seen over the past six years with trans people is a really good example of that. It’s clear that it’s never been about sports. It’s never about protecting women or children. If they wanted to protect women and children, they would indict the people in the Epstein files.”

“So that was all a pretext to scapegoat trans people, to dehumanize us and put us in an excluded category so that they can take away our rights,” Cox continued. “Legislate us out of existence, we’re seeing that happen.”

During his second administration, President Donald Trump has taken steps aimed at restricting the participation of biological men in women’s sports. Shortly after taking office, he signed an executive order aimed at protecting female athletes.

“We will not allow men to beat up, injure and cheat our women and our girls. From now on, women’s sports will be only for women,” Trump said upon signing the order. “With this executive order, the war on women’s sports is over.”

According to a Gallup poll conducted last year, 69 percent of US adults said transgender-identifying athletes should only be allowed to compete on sports teams matching their biological sex. The same poll found that 66 percent of Americans believe biological sex, rather than so-called gender identity, should be listed on government documents such as passports and driver’s licenses.