White House press secretary Jen Psaki showed an unusually emotional side as she was questioned on recent anti-LGBTQ legislation on the News Not Noise podcast on Tuesday.
“They’re doing that in a way that is harsh and cruel to a community of kids, especially,” Psaki said. “I’m going to get emotional about this issue because it’s horrible. But it’s kids who are bullied, and all these leaders are taking steps to hurt them, and hurt their lives and hurt their families.”
Florida’s Parental Rights in Education bill, dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” bill by critics, has been contentious since its introduction. It was signed into law by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) late last month with the intention of strengthening the family by restricting the education of sexual orientation and gender identity for children in kindergarten through third grade.
“I think the last couple of years have really revealed to parents that they are being ignored increasingly across our country when it comes to their kids’ education,” DeSantis said the day the bill was passed. “We have seen curriculum embedded for very, very young children, classroom materials about sexuality and woke gender ideology. We’ve seen libraries that have clearly inappropriate pornographic materials for very young kids.”
Psaki accused the GOP of trying to win a “culture war,” calling their actions “harsh and cruel to a community of kids.”
“That is not a reflection of the country moving to oppose LGBTQ+ communities. That is not what we see in data, that is not factual and that is not where things stand,” she added.
Watch the full interview with Jessica Yellinin the video below.
