When the facts are not on their side, folks on the hard left will try playing on people’s emotions to get them to support their agenda. This tendency can be seen in a recent report from the Associated Press in which the author attempted once again to make it appear as if certain laws being passed in various states are somehow designed to erase members of the LGBTQ community.
The article discussed the supposed effect legislation banning “gender-affirming care” for minors and gender ideology in schools is having on those who identify as LGBTQ. The author detailed how supposed “anti-LGBTQ+ legislation” being passed in states like Florida, Montana, North Dakota, and others has taken an emotional toll on the state’s gay lawmakers. The article claims the trend has put significant pressure on LGBTQ+ lawmakers who have encountered misunderstanding and even hate among their Republican colleagues.
“The issue exploded into the national spotlight last week when Montana Republicans voted to bar Democratic Rep. Zooey Zephyr, who is transgender, from the House floor after a standoff over gender-affirming medical care for minors,” the author wrote.
Florida State Sen. Shevrin Jones, who is gay, told the AP that while he shows strength in public, he is not so strong when he is not in the public eye.
“The outward expression is to show God’s love. That’s what I was taught,” he said, “I have enough tears in my car to fill a lake.”
From the AP:
More than 200 LGBTQ+ lawmakers across the country feel just like Jones, at a time when anti-gay and anti-transgender legislation is flourishing — as if they are under personal attack, and that they need to continually defend their community’s right to exist.
The article noted that the American Civil Liberties Union “is tracking nearly 470 anti-LGBTQ+ bills in 16 states, most with Republican-controlled Legislatures.”
North Dakota State Sen. Ryan Braunberger said it is “frustrating” and “maddening” to serve as a gay lawmaker in a state where these laws are being passed.
“They want to eliminate members of the LGBTQ+ community from existing,” he told the AP. “It’s what the extreme right is pushing for … It represents a small but powerful part of the Legislature. And I fear that if we don’t stand up against it, that it will continue to grow.”
Florida Rep. Michele Rayner-Goolsby, the first black lesbian to serve in the state legislature, said she is “literally trying to exist.”
She added: “The harsh things we’re saying are in defense of our life. The harsh things that they’re saying are to prop up a governor’s political ambition, and their desire and quest for power.”
Of course, this would all be horrible if it were true. But the reality is that most of the laws being passed are designed to protect children, something that Democrats do not seem to be on board with. These laws are protecting parental rights by preventing schools from helping their children “transition” to the opposite gender without their parents’ knowledge or consent. They are preventing school districts from inculcating young minds with their gender ideology. These laws are intended also to prevent classrooms and school libraries from presenting sexually explicit material to children.
Is there a chance some of these laws are flawed? Sure. That’s the case with all legislation. In some cases, it has resulted in overreach. But in general, they are protecting the rights of parents instead of forcing them to allow schools and medical facilities to influence their young children. The left knows this, which is why it is trying to tug on our heartstrings instead of defending their positions. There is nothing about these laws that could erase anyone even if that were the intention. Nevertheless, they continue relying on lies and emotional appeals to push their agenda.
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