During Monday’s press briefing, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki refused to say when President Joe Biden thinks it is appropriate for young school students to be taught about sexual orientation and gender identity.
"At what age does the White House think that students should be taught about sexual orientation and gender identity?” Fox News reporter Peter Doocy asked Psaki.
Doocy’s question was pertaining to Florida’s Parental Rights in Education law, which Democrats have dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” law. The law prohibits teaching gender identity and sexual orientation curriculum in grades kindergarten through third grade.
“Well, I would say, first of all, Peter, we have spoken to the ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill in the past, I believe is what you are referring to, and made clear that as we look at this law, what we think it’s a reflection of politicians in Florida propagating misinformed, hateful policies that do absolutely nothing to address the real issues,” Psaki said.
DOOCY: "At what age does the White House think that students should be taught about sexual orientation and gender identity?"
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) April 4, 2022
PSAKI: "This law...is politicians in Florida propagating misinformed, hateful policies that do absolutely nothing to address the real issues." pic.twitter.com/bgdKLafk1M
“The Department of Education is well positioned and ready to evaluate what to do next and whether its implementation violates the federal Civil Rights law, but I would note that parents across the country are looking to national, state, and district leaders to support our nation’s students, to ensure that kids are treated equally in schools, and this is certainly not a reflection of that,” she added.
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“So, if you guys oppose this law that bans classroom instruction about sexual orientation and gender identity in K through three, does the White House support that kind of classroom instruction before kindergarten?” Doocy pressed.
“Do you have examples of schools in Florida that are teaching kindergarteners about sex education?” Psaki responded.
“I’m asking for the president’s opinion,” Doocy doubled down.
“I think this is a politically-charged, harsh law that is putting parents and LGBTQ+ in a very difficult, heartbreaking circumstance,” Psaki replied.
Florida GOP Rep. Byron Donalds responded to Psaki’s remarks on Twitter, pointing out that she is leaving her position at the White House soon for a job at MSNBC.
Hey, @PressSec, READ THE BILL! The Parental Rights in Education bill simply bans the ongoing and future teachings of gender identity and fluidity in grades K-3.
— Byron Donalds (@ByronDonalds) April 4, 2022
Stop the gaslighting, get informed, and start packing your bags for @MSNBC.
In a separate question, Doocy pressed Psaki on biological males competing in women’s sports.
"In some places like the Ivy League now, there are biological males competing against women. Does the White House think that is fair?” Doocey asked.
Doocy’s question referred to biological male William “Lia” Thomas, who competed on the women’s swim team at the University of Pennsylvania this season and won a race at the NCAA swimming championships last month. Thomas competed on the men’s swim team at UPenn the previous three seasons.
“Well, I would note that we are not the governing body for the NCAA or any other system out there that I believe you’re probably referring to – the case over in swimming in the NCAA. We understand how important sports are to student-athletes across the country but the NCAA obviously puts these policies in place,” Psaki said.
“We celebrated international Transgender Day of Visibility last week with a slate of new actions to ensure we continue to protect the dignity and identity of all Americans. At a moment, we’re looking at and we’re seeing an increase in mental health issues related to young people, especially LGBTQ+ young people. We’re providing additional funding and resources to address this issue and we hope all leaders can focus on those important issues and the impact on many of these young people who are impacted across the country,” she added.
Doocy: "In some places...there are biological males competing against women. Does the WH think that is fair?"
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) April 4, 2022
Psaki says while the WH isn't the NCAA, they're "protect[ing] the dignity & identity of all" as "we're seeing increased mental health issues" for "LGBTQ+ people" pic.twitter.com/qNdRoAAdP5
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