'Don’t Say Gay': Conservatives, Please Stop Playing Defense All the Damn Time

(AP Photo/Nati Harnik)

The debate over what should be taught in America’s classrooms has been raging for years. The current battle in the overall war centers on Florida’s “Parental Rights in Education” bill, which has been widely reviled by the far left, whose adherents are doing the usual “if you don’t agree with me, you’re a bigot” routine. Democrats and their close friends and allies in the activist media have gone so far as to explicitly lie about the proposal, deceptively dubbing it the “Don’t Say Gay” bill.

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In response, conservatives have responded by pointing to the text of the bill and noting that is primarily intended for students from kindergarten age to third grade. Some, like Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, have even had the temerity to point out the fact that the Democrats and members of the activist media are lying about the bill.

That’s a good thing – but it’s not enough.

It’s a mistake conservatives have made time and time again. We stay on the defense and resort to justifying our positions. Instead, we should go on the offense and force the far-left to defend their ridiculous arguments for a change.

Sure, it’s great to correct the record and point out that the bill focuses primarily on children under the age of seven. But the left already knows that – they are just lying about it. Instead, why not take it a step further and ask them why they think discussions on sexuality should be had with a group of kids under the age of seven? Did they sit down and have these talks with their own children when they were this age? If so, why?

Even more than that, perhaps we should make them defend the absurd idea that the state should be able to discuss topics of a sexual nature without the parents’ consent. Ask them why they feel it is okay for the government to minimize the role of parents, so that the state has almost full sway over what America’s children are discussing in class.

I’m not the only one who has grown weary of seeing our leaders rely more on the shield than the sword. Conservative commentator Jesse Kelly chimed in on this very matter during his show on “The First” network. He said:

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“It makes me sick. They’re destroying kids in the country and the GOP still can’t find the balls to play offense. If you’re a Democrat right now, you should be hiding under your desk for fear that someone will come in and ask you, why do you support pedophilia? Do you believe in the grooming of children? This is an opportunity for the GOP to take back more seats than they could ever.”

Now, I might not go as far as to accuse most of these folks of supporting pedophilia, but Kelly’s point still stands, especially when you’re dealing with people who have no problem falsely labeling us as bigots who hate members of the LGBTQ community just because we don’t want our young children participating in sexual conversations that are not age-appropriate. He is also right when he points out this approach will help to get more conservative candidates elected.

One only needs to look at the debate over elements inspired by Critical Race Theory (CRT) being infused in K-12 schools. This is one of the rare instances in which conservatives went on the offensive. Instead of just explaining why we were against it, we exposed what was happening in the classroom and pointed the finger at the ones promoting it. This pushed the left into a situation in which they could do one of two things. They could tell the truth about the material being presented in the classroom and then defend it. Or, they could lie about it and pretend there were no problematic teachings on race happening in schools.

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We know which one they chose, and it didn’t work out too well for them, right?

The same applies here. From now on, let’s stop being still and defending our position. Yes, there is a time when defense is necessary, but that time is not now.

Instead, let’s take up the phalanx, advance forward, and viciously attack the arguments of those supporting the idea that K-3 children should be having sexual conversations. Make them use their shields for once. It won’t be long before those in the middle see that this position is indefensible. Even folks who lean left will see the flaws. But this can’t happen if these flaws are not highlighted and targeted. If we want to win this battle, we have to man up and take it to the hard left instead of letting them throw all the punches.

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