White House press secretary Jen Psaki burst into tears talking about how “cruel” it is that Republicans don’t want to let people mutilate children in the name of “gender affirmation.” And yet, she couldn’t explain why it was cruel. The apparent reason is that Democrats think emotions are more important than anything else.
“The political games and harsh and cruel attempts at laws, or laws that we’re seeing in some states like Florida, that is not a reflection of the country moving to oppose LGBTQ+ communities,” Psaki said. “That is not what we see in data.”
Powerful moment as Jen Psaki fights back tears discussing the political attacks on LGBTQ children. pic.twitter.com/NDFZvdAcpH
— Brian McBride (@BrianDMcBride) April 20, 2022
That, of course, is wrong. Poll after poll has shown that Florida’s law, which prevents classroom instruction on gender identity and sexual orientation for students in the third grade and below, is incredibly popular across partisan lines, both in Florida and nationally. If she’s referring to the laws that prevent the irreversible chemical and surgical procedures that she thinks should be encouraged for gender dysphoric children, she’s wrong there, too. Only 29% support making or keeping those procedures on children legal, with 44% opposed.
As for Psaki’s claim that this is “an attempt to win a culture war,” she is correct. It’s an attempt to win a culture war that Democrats started by claiming that gender dysphoric children should begin irreversible chemical and surgical alterations as a form of “gender affirmation.” Preventing doctors from injecting 10-year-old children with puberty blockers is only a culture war issue because Democrats chose to make it one in the first place. For everyone else, it’s just common sense — the prevention of child abuse.
Psaki began crying after saying Republicans were being “harsh” and “cruel” to “kids who are bullied” and that “all these leaders are taking steps to hurt them and hurt their lives and hurt their families.” No examples of how these laws harm children — just tears, and we are all supposed to accept that as if it were an argument.
Again, we are talking about policies that prevent children from mutilation and chemical alterations in the form of surgery and puberty blockers. Good intentions do not make these procedures any less reckless or irreversible. The laws against such things prevent child abuse; Psaki is crying to support it.
The tears might boost Psaki’s progressive credentials when she becomes a host on MSNBC, but that’s all they are good for. They are not helping children.
