Live from Music Row Thursday morning on The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. – host Leahy welcomed all-star panelist Clint Brewer in-studio to weigh in on the anti-grooming bill that recently passed in Florida and the role of government in schools.
Leahy: In-studio, all-star panelist, good guy, recovering journalist Clint Brewer. Clint, I wanted to talk about this anti-grooming bill that has been passed in Florida. Disney apparently is in favor of grooming young kids on the issue of sexual identity.
Here’s a story by our own Susan Berry, the education editor for The Star News Network. The Florida state Senate passed its Parental Rights in Education bill, a measure that would ban classroom teaching of gender identity and sexual orientation in grades K through three.
It now goes to DeSantis for his signature. It says 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. Why would anybody be focused on sexual orientation and gender identity with kids grades K through three?
Brewer: Was that actually happening in Florida?
Leahy: It was all over the place. Kids were coming home saying, in science they’re learning about cisgender gender and transgender and all this kind of junk. They can’t read, they can’t write, they can’t do math,
Brewer: Have they even had sexual education courses yet? There are health classes. I believe I’m correct in saying this, the legislative intent was not anti-grooming. I believe that Governor DeSantis’s press Secretary in a tweet said if you’re against this bill, you’re probably pro-grooming. But your point is great. I mean, I can’t think of too many parents who would want this discussed with their kindergartners through third graders.
Leahy: Why would you send your kids to a school that’s talking about gender identity and sexual orientation to kindergartners?
Brewer: I don’t want them talking to them about sex education at that age. If you’re going to have those conversations with children of that age that belongs in the home. Certainly, there’s a role for schools to play in this. I think when the kids are older … that seems awfully young to be discussing that.
Leahy: Here’s what the propagandist who serves as the Secretary of Education for the legal but not legitimate grifter-in-chief. His name is Miguel Cardona. He ruined Connecticut schools and now he’s trying to ruin schools around the country. (Chuckles)
Here’s how he describes parents: “Parents across the country are looking to national, state, and district leaders to support our nation’s students, help them recover from the pandemic, and provide them the academic and mental health support they need.”
“Instead, leaders in Florida are prioritizing hateful bills that hurt some of the students most in need. We stand with our LGBTQ-plus students in Florida and across the country and urge Florida leaders to make sure all their students are protected and supported.” What is this guy? Why is this guy our Secretary of Education? And by the way, why do we have a Department of Education?
Brewer: I got to tell you, I think kids who are LGBT – and that’s becoming part of their identity, they’re emerging into that. I mean, look, that happens in life.
That’s a reality. But standing with them doesn’t mean talking about it in K through three. I can’t even get my head around that.
Leahy: Yes. Well, they’re all pushing them towards this. This is why, on the language … Let me ask you this first. Did your kids – because I have a point of view on this; I know this will shock you that I have a point of view on something.
Brewer: It’s kind of your job to have a point of view, isn’t it, Michael?
Leahy: I know. So as your kids were growing up, did you let them watch Disney?
Brewer: Of course.
Leahy: Yeah, I didn’t, because, even my kids … Disney has gone so far Left, to me, it’s unwatchable. All Disney.
Brewer: Even Cinderella or Fantasia. Even like the classics.
Leahy: Clint, where have you been? That’s all like the 1940s, 1950s.
Brewer: It’s still Disney.
Leahy: That’s Disney ’40s, ’50s.If you watch the current Disney programming, it’s all about parents are stupid and you got to be Woke.
Brewer: They kind of outgrew Disney a while ago.
Leahy: You are fortunate.
Brewer: Perhaps the Disney we grew up in was different.
Leahy: The Disney that we grew up in is gone, dead and gone. It died with Walt Disney back in 1966. But this Disney is Woke. And here the CEO of Disney is opposing this anti-grooming bill. He will meet with Governor DeSantis about it. Let me read you this. Disney CEO Bob Chapek informed shareholders at the company’s annual meeting on Wednesday that Disney opposes parental rights and education legislation.
Desantis spokesperson Christina Pushaw recently said the bill that liberals inaccurately called “Don’t Say Gay” would be more accurately described as an anti-grooming bill. Basically, the bill says you’re not going to be talking about gender identity and sexual orientation among kids K through three.
Now, Disney apparently doesn’t like this, and they’re going to go and whine and complain to DeSantis. How do you think that’s going to play out?
Brewer: I think there’s a part of this bill that makes a lot of sense to me, which is the K through three. And there’s another part of the bill that I’m a little conflicted on.
There’s a part of the bill where if the child in question, and from what I’ve read, it’s not discriminate on age. If they begin to identify as LGBT, then the school system has to disclose that to the parent. So, that’s very subjective.
What does that mean? Put yourself in the shoes of a school principal or counselor. How are you supposed to determine if a kid is considering themselves that way?
Are you as a government official, do you have to interrogate the kids? I’m wondering about the role of government here. You know what I mean? Because we talk about teachers and principals, and we forget they are government employees.
Leahy: Yes, well, that’s a problem in itself. But let’s go back to this whole thing. The sense that people have is that the teachers’ unions’ are pushing all this LGBTQ stuff at kids all throughout school.
And instead of teaching reading, writing, arithmetic, civics, the American Constitution, they’re saying LGBTQ, LGBTQ and the kids are just getting hit with this non-stop.
Brewer: I don’t disagree with you at all. But I guess what I’m worried about when I read about it is, what form and function is that going to take on the ground in schools?
Are you going to have principals running around interrogating kids about their personal lives because they are required by state law to disclose it? That’s really not their role.
Leahy: Very doubtful, but this gets to a broader issue.
Brewer: Yeah, it is a broader issue.
Listen to the full interview here:
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Tune in weekdays from 5:00 – 8:00 a.m. to The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy on Talk Radio 98.3 FM WLAC 1510. Listen online at iHeart Radio.
