THE PARENTS OF TRANSGENDER
CHILDREN, AFFIRMING YOUR
CHILD'S IDENTITY IS ONE OF THE
MOST POWERFUL THINGS YOU CAN DO
TO KEEP THEM SAFE AND HEALTHY.
ANY TRANSGENDER AMERICAN WHO IS
STRUGGLING, PLEASE KNOW THAT
YOU ARE NOT ALONE.
THE PARENTS AND CHILDREN ALIKE,
PLEASE ASK FOR HELP AND KNOW
THIS, YOU ARE SO BRAVE.
YOU BELONG.
WE HAVE YOUR BACK.
>> PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN MARKS
THE TRANSGENDER DAY OF
VISIBILITY TODAY.
REPUBLICANS SET THE SITE BACK
ON THE LGBTQ COMMUNITY.
A LOT OF THE LANGUAGE ADOPTED
AROUND IDENTITY AND BEING GAY
IS FOCUSED AROUND GROOMING.
THAT IS A TERM ASSOCIATED WITH
ABUSERS AND MOLESTERS OF
CHILDREN, WHO COURSE THEIR
VICTIMS INTO THE ABUSE.
IN FLORIDA BEFORE THE DON'T SAY
GAY BILL WAS SIGNED INTO LAW,
REPUBLICAN CALLED IT THE
ANTI-GROOMING BILL.
WHAT'S SHE IS SAYING THERE IS
THAT THE ONLY REASON TO TALK
ABOUT SEXUAL ORIENTATION AND
GENDER IDENTITY WITH CHILDREN
IS BECAUSE A PERSON WANTS TO
MOLEST THEM.
SHE LATER CLARIFIED THAT IS A
PERSONAL VIEW, NOT THE
GOVERNOR'S.
THE SUGGESTION HERE IS THAT ANY
DISCUSSION ABOUT PEOPLE BEING
GAY OR TRANS IS AN ATTEMPT TO
SEXUALIZE OR SEXUALLY GROOM
YOUNG CHILDREN.
IT IS NOT ONLY FALSE, IT IS
OBVIOUSLY OFFENSIVE.
THE REPUBLICAN PARTY HAS LATELY
BEEN EMBOLDENED TO MAKE OLD
SCHOOL COMMENTS ABOUT GAY,
TRANS AND LESBIAN PEOPLE.
>> WE WILL DRILL OIL RIGHT HERE IN THE USA.
IN THE USA.
but I‘m just as important
[APPLAUSE] YOU KNOW WHAT, PUT A
JUDGE CAN TAKE HIS ELECTRIC
VEHICLES AND BICYCLES, AND HE
AND HIS HAS BEEN, CAN STAY OUT
OF OUR GROSS BATHROOMS.
>> [LAUGHS]
YOU CAN HAVE A STROKE TRYING TO
EVALUATE HE AND HIS HUSBAND CAN
STAY OUT OF GIRLS BATHROOMS.
THESE ATTACKS ARE ALL A PART OF
WHY THIS WRITER IDENTIFIED THE
--
MARK JOSEPH STERN JOINS ME NOW.
MARK, I REALLY LIKE WHAT YOU
HAD TO SAY.
IT MADE ME THINK ABOUT THIS
DIFFERENTLY.
I WANT TO SAY ON THIS TRANS
THEY OF VISIBILITY, THERE WAS
OBVIOUSLY A NEVER A TRUCE ON
TRANS ISSUE.
THEY VIEW THIS AS A CULTURAL
WAR ISSUE, THEY PURSUE IT AT
THE STATUTORY LEVEL, IN
LAWSUITS IN POLICIES ALL OVER
THE COUNTRY, THAT IS NOT WE ARE
TALKING ABOUT, WHAT ARE YOU
TALKING ABOUT?
>> I AM TALKING ABOUT
REPUBLICANS AND CONSERVATIVES,
ESPECIALLY MEDIA FIGURES,
TESTING THE WATERS ON
HOMOPHOBIA, THE KINDS OF WHICH
WE HAVE NOT SEEN FROM MAJOR
FIGURES FOR QUITE SOME TIME.
YOU MENTIONED EARLIER THIS
ALLEGATION THAT ANYONE WOULD
WANT TO SIMPLY ACKNOWLEDGE THE
EXISTENCE OF LGBTQ FAMILIES IN
THE CLASSROOM, THEY ARE SEEKING
TO MOLEST CHILDREN.
THIS CLAIM THAT SAME-SEX
PARENTS DO NOT MAKE GOOD
PARENTS, THAT THEY ARE HARMING
THEIR CHILDREN.
THAT OTHER CHILDREN MUST BE
SHIELDED FROM THEM.
ALSO ON THE LEGAL LEVEL, WE ARE
NOW HEARING AN INCREASING
NUMBER OF REPUBLICAN MEMBERS OF
CONGRESS OPENLY CONDEMN THE
SUPREME COURT DECISION
LEGALIZING MARRIAGE EQUALITY.
REALLY SAYING IT SHOULD BE
OVERTURNED, THAT STATE SHOULD
BE ABLE TO BAN AND NULLIFY
SAME-SEX MARRIAGES ONCE AGAIN.
WE DID NOT HEAR STUFF LIKE THAT
FOR THE PAST SEVEN YEARS.
ABSOLUTELY, WE HEARD
UNRELENTING VICIOUS ATTACKS ON
TRANS EQUALITY, BUT THERE WAS
AN OBVIOUS TACTICAL RETREAT ON
GAY RIGHTS.
THIS SEEMS TO BE PRETTY MUCH
OVER.
>> I WANT TO READ THE LANGUAGE
ISSUE IN THE FLORIDA BILL
BECAUSE THERE HAS BEEN A LOT OF
BACK AND FORTH ON IT.
IN HP 15 57, IT IS INCREDIBLY
VAGUE.
CLASSROOM INSTRUCTION BY SCHOOL
PERSONNEL OR THIRD PARTIES ON
SEXUAL ORIENTATION OR GENDER
IDENTITY MAY NOT OCCUR IN
KINDERGARTEN THROUGH GRADE
THREE OR IN A MANNER THAT IS
NOT AGE-APPROPRIATE OR
DEVELOPMENTALLY APPROPRIATE FOR
STUDENTS IN ACCORDANCE WITH
STATE STANDARDS.
I HAVE A HARD TIME PARSING THE,
BUT IT SAYS CLASSROOM
INSTRUCTION ON SEXUAL
ORIENTATION MAY NOT OCCUR
THROUGH GRADE THREE.
THAT IS A HUGE BAN ON REAL
BASIC STUFF LIKE HEATHER HAS
TWO MOMMIES, OR THE GAY
PENGUINS IN THE SEXUAL PARK
CHILDREN'S BOOK, 100%
AGE-APPROPRIATE TALKING ABOUT
DIFFERENTLY SHIPS IN THE WORLD.
>> IN GRADES FOUR THROUGH 12,
ANY DISCUSSION OF LGBTQ PEOPLE
HAVE TO BE IN ACCORDANCE WITH
STATE STANDARDS.
THOSE STANDARDS DO NOT EXIST.
REPUBLICANS HAVE NOT INDICATED
THAT THEY WILL DRAFT THEM.
THAT LEADS US TO THE MOST
IMPORTANT THING TO UNDERSTAND
ABOUT THE BILL, IT IS NOT
ENFORCED LIKE A REGULAR LAW, IT
IS MODELED AFTER THE TEXAS
VIGILANTE ABORTION BILL.
THAT BILL ALLOWS PARENTS TO
FILE LAWSUITS AGAINST SCHOOL
DISTRICTS THAT ALLEGEDLY
VIOLATES PROVISIONS.
THEY CAN COLLECT MONEY DAMAGES
AND ATTORNEY FEES IF THEY CAN
PROVE IN COURT THAT A TEACHER
VIOLATED THIS LAW.
IT IS DESIGNED TO SHILL A
MAXIMUM AMOUNT OF SPEECH IN THE
CLASSROOM.
WHAT'S REASONABLE TEACHER WOULD
EVEN HAVE HAD THEIR HAS TWO
MOMMIES ON HER SHELF AND THIRD
GRADE KNOWING THAT A PARENT
COULD SUE HER FOR THOUSANDS OF
DOLLARS, AND SHE MIGHT BE
PLACED IN A MONTHS LONG
INVESTIGATION, HAVING HER
REPUTATION DRIVE THROUGH THE
MUD, AND ULTIMATELY BEING
TERMINATED EVEN IF EXONERATED.
THIS IS NOT A NORMAL LAW.
THIS IS A GAG LETTER.
THIS IS A DISTURBING VIGILANTE
NARRATIVE.
>> TO GO BACK TO YOUR BOY, THIS
GOES BACK TO HEATHER HAS TWO
MOMMIES, A CULTURAL FIGHT OF MY
YOUTH, WHEN I WAS 12 OR 13 IN
NEW YORK CITY, THIS WAS LIKE,
OH MY GOD.
THIS WAS THE EXAMPLE OF THE
RIDICULOUSNESS OF THE LIBERALS.
THE TACTICAL RETREAT FROM GAY
MARRIAGE AND GAY EQUALITY, WHY
DO YOU THINK THAT TACTICAL
RETREAT IS GIVING WAY NOW ON
THINGS LIKE BREAD AND BUTTER
LIKE MARRIAGE?
>> I THINK REPUBLICANS HAVE HAD
EXTRAORDINARY SUCCESS ATTACKING
AND VILIFYING TRANS PEOPLE AND
ERODING RIGHTS THAT SEEM SECURE
EVEN A FEW YEARS AGO.
AS RECENTLY AS 2016, IT SEEMED
PRETTY CLEAR THAT THE ISSUE OF
TRANS CHILDREN USING THE RIGHT
BATHROOM WAS SETTLED.
MANY COURTS HAD AGREED UPON IT.
IT DID NOT LOOK LIKE JUSTICE
KENNEDY WANTED TO DEAL WITH IT.
IT SEEM LIKE OKAY, WE CAN LET
TRANS KIDS PEACE SAFELY AT
SCHOOL.
NOW HERE WE ARE, AND WE ARE
SEEING STATE AFTER STATE PASSED
THESE ODIOUS BANS KEEPING KIDS
OUT ABOUT THE ROOMS, KEEPING
KIDS OF SPORTS TEAMS IF THEY
ARE TRANS, AND ALSO PROHIBITING
THEM IF THEY ARE GETTING BASIC
GENDER AFFIRMING CARE.
THEY ARE ON A WINNING STREAK
AND THEY ARE A LITTLE DRUNK ON
THEIR SUCCESS.
THEY ARE TRYING TO SEE WHERE
THEY CAN PUSH NEXT.
WHAT IS THE NEXT FRONTIER?
THIS CULTURE WAR, YOU ALWAYS
HAVE TO BE FEEDING THE FIRE.
I THINK THEY ARE LOOKING AROUND
AT THE GAY ISSUES, AND SAYING,
WE LEFT SOME STUFF ON THE TABLE
THERE.
THOSE ARE BEING SEEN IN FEDERAL
COURTS.
WHAT IS NEXT?
WHAT THEY SETTLED ON IS THAT
THE LGBTQ FAMILIES HAVE TO BE
ERASED FROM PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
THAT WILL CERTAINLY NOT BE THE