The Thursday Night Episode of All In, host Chris Hayes devoted the tail end of his show to fearmongering over the newly passed Parental Rights in Education law in Florida which bans the teaching of sexual identity or orientation to children in grades K-3. Mark Joseph Stern, senior writer at Slate joined him to express panic about the success of the Conservative movement’s culture wars.
“I would like to read only the Florida bill language, since there’s been so much back-and-forth about it.”Hayes began this segment by claiming that the language contained in the bill was too vague. “Is incredibly vague.”He read the controversial part:
Instruction in the classroom by third-party or school personnel on sexual orientation and gender identity is prohibited from kindergarten through grade 3. It also must not be in an age-appropriate manner or not appropriate to students’ developmental needs..
After reading that provision, Hayes went into meltdown mode over teachers not being allowed to sexualize five-year-olds in Florida claiming: “that’s a huge-huge-huge ban on like real basic stuff like Heather has two mommies, or like the gay penguins in Central Park children’s book”He insists that it is “100 percent age-appropriate.”
Stern insisted that Stern was correct. “Designed to reduce the amount of speech that is heard in the classroom.”Parents would have the right to sue teachers for violating the law.
Whining: “What kind of teacher is that?” Heather is a mother to two children on her shelf in 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 dragged through the mud, and ultimately be terminated even if she’s exonerated?”
Hayes shifted the discussion to the culture wars conservatives supposedly are fighting. Hayes lamented the fact conservatives starting to question same-sex marriage. “The tactic retreat on gay marriage, gay equality and the vicious culture war against trans issues is what we call it.” You think this tactical retreat has given way to things like bread and butter equality in marriage?
Stern blasted Stern, claiming “Republicans had an extraordinary success attacking trans people and eroding the rights that appeared secure just a few years back.” Stern went on a tirade about conservatives’ efforts to challenge transgender bathrooms laws, and prevent transgender kids from participating in sports teams. He finally admitted that he was wrong.[conservatives]”They are on an incredible winning streak. They’re a bit drunk about their successes.”
Stern was done demagoguing “what’s next? What are they? [conservatives]The idea that LGBTQ families must be removed from public schools is the consensus. “But that won’t be the end.”
There is no way to remove LGBTQ individuals from public school systems. It’s a scare tactic used by the left. The left knows they won’t be able to defend the teachings of sexual orientation to kindergarteners and so they come up with strawman arguments.
This unhinged segment on MSNBC was made possible by Fidelity and Applebee’s. They are linked.
Click “expand to view the transcript”
MSNBC’s All In
3/31/2022
Eastern at 8:46.33CHRIS HAYES. Since yesterday morning Fox News has mentioned Disney more than 252 time. This is all based upon the new Florida law, signed by Republican Governor Ron DeSantis. It prohibits early elementary school teachers from teaching about sexual orientation or gender identity. This law bans gay-ness discussion in elementary schools, even though it claims to be protecting children against being sexually abused. This is a very stigmatizing situation, especially for thousands or thousands of Florida kids with LGBTQ relatives. The legislation has been referred to by its opponents as the “don’t say gay law”. The opposition to the legislation have asked for Disney’s input, as Disney is an obvious presence in Florida. The bill was signed by Governor DeSantis on Monday. On Monday, Disney released a strongly worded statement that stated, “The bill quote should never have passed” and said it should never be signed into law. As a company, our goal is to see this bill repealed or overturned by the legislature. We will continue to support the efforts of state and national organizations to do so. This really sent everybody on the right into the stratosphere. As you can see on Fox News, the most ignorant faction of right is now denigrating Disney for being a creepy and qanon-adjacent nefarious bunch of sexual deviants. However, all of that hides my true thoughts. We’re seeing, and it really gathered steam in the last month or so, a seismic change in our politics. Conservatives are relaunching their war on gay people. This ugly truth was revealed by a Republican congresswoman. Here’s what I have to say next.
[Cuts to commercial break]
(…)
HAYES: The Republican Party is focusing its attention on the LGBTQ community as President Joe Biden today marks transgender Day of Visibility. Many of the terms the right uses to talk about being gay or gender identity revolve around grooming. Now, that’s a term that’s associated with abusers and molesters of children, who coerce their victims into the abuse. In Florida, before the don’t say gay bill was signed into law, Republican Governor Ron DeSantis’s press secretary called it the anti-grooming bill.
Now, just again, what’s she’s saying there is that the only reason to talk about sexual orientation or gender identity with children is because a person wants to molest them. She later clarified that it’s just her personal view, and not the Governor’s. This suggests that any conversation about gay people or transgenders is an attempt to sexualize young children or groom them sexually. It’s not only false, it’s obviously offensive. However, it seems that the Republican Party is able to make some of its old-fashioned bigoted, rank comments about homosexual, lesbian and trans persons.
(…)
HAYES – I would like to simply read the Florida bill at issue because it has had a lot more back and forth. It is just so that people could hear it. This is HB 1557. It’s incredibly vague. Right? Right?
Although it is difficult to understand, the text states that sexual orientation classes are not allowed in kindergarten through grade 3. Like, that’s a huge-huge-huge ban on like real basic stuff like Heather has two mommies, or like the gay penguins in Central Park children’s book, but like is 100 percent age-appropriate that talks about the fact that there are different kinds of relationships in the world.
MARK JOSEPH STONE: Yes, in the grades four to 12, all discussions of LGBTQ persons must be consistent with state standards. They don’t even exist. They haven’t been indicated by Republicans as being in the process of drafting them. The most important point to remember about this bill is that it will not be enforced just like any regular law. In fact, it has been modeled on the Texas vigilante abortifacient bill. Because it permits parents to bring lawsuits against schools districts that violate its provisions,
A teacher may be held responsible for damages to the student’s property and legal fees. It is intended to limit speech within the classroom. What reasonable teacher would even have Heather has two mommies on her shelf in 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 dragged through the mud, and ultimately be terminated even if she’s exonerated. It is not an ordinary law. It’s a gag or order. It is enforced with the most disturbing vigilante story possible.
HAYES This was like, “Oh my God.” This is the perfect example of liberal absurdity. The bifurcation is the tactic retreat on gay marriage, gay equality and the vicious culture war against trans issues. You think this tactical retreat might be giving way to things like bread and butter equality in marriage?
STERN: Republicans are having an extraordinary record of attacking and demeaning trans people, and have eroded rights that were secure just a few years back. It was clear, even in 2016, that trans schoolchildren were allowed to use the correct bathroom. Many courts agreed on it. It didn’t look like Justice Kennedy wanted to deal with it. Trans kids can go to school and it seemed okay. We are now witnessing state after state adopt these horrendous bans that keep trans kids from going to the bathroom, prevent them from participating in sports, and prohibit them receiving basic gender-affirming healthcare. They’re on a winning streak, and are slightly drunk at their successes. They are looking for the next frontier. What’s the next frontier? Culture wars are a constant battle. You must always keep feeding the fire. I think they are looking around at these gay issues, and they’re saying, we left some stuff on the table there. The arguments for religious freedom exemptions from non-discrimination legislation, you know them well. They are now gaining momentum in federal courts. What’s next? What they came up with was the notion that LGBTQ people must be expelled from public school systems. This will not end.
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