As the mouthpiece for the "family values" crowd, Fox News has happily advanced its anti-transgender propaganda related to school accommodations for transgender students. Yesterday, Elisabeth Hasselbeck validated this ugly stuff with a representative from a "family values" hate group who thinks transgender folks are mentally ill. Got irony?
Elisabeth Hasselbeck began her "Trouble with Schools" segment with a report that the Fairfax County, VA school board would be voting on adding gender identity to its non-discrimination code - a story that Todd Starnes exposed on the Fox News website. The banner framed the transphobic Fox message: "Transgender Troubles, Proposed Changes to Non-Discrimination Policy." In stoking the patented Fox/right wing bathroom panic, she informed us that, OMG, transgender girls can OMG use the girl's bathroom and vice-versa. And to make matters worse, parents OMG can't allow their children to opt-out of a class taught by a transgender teacher."
She introduced her guest, Andrea Laffterty head of the SPLC designated hate group, "The Traditional Values Coalition" which was formed to warn Americans of "the gay threat." Hasselbeck noted that Lafferty is "leading the charge" against this Virginia outrage.
After citing a community organizer (and we know how bad those people are) who said that transgender bathrooms prevent teen suicides, she noted that Lafferty says that the proposal will "cause more harm to the student body." Lafferty claimed that she represents lots of Virginia parents and asserted that the "real point" is that the school district is trying to sneak this into policy without parents knowing about it. She said that transgender teachers can cause "confusion" for young students. Hasselbeck looked positively sick when Lafferty said that even pre-schoolers could be exposed to transgender teachers under the new policy.
To Hasselbeck's question of why parents' voices were not being heard, Lafferty alleged that the Obama administration is threatening to pull federal school funding if the policy isn't implemented. In comparing the policy change to "Obamacare," she also claimed that the school board is saying that they will "push" this through and read it later. The transphobic banners: "Transgender Teachers, Should Parents be Able to Opt Out," "Discrimination Debate, Lafferty, Bathroom Access is a Safety Issue," and, guaranteed to get the pitch forks out, "On Your Dime, Taxpayer $$$ For Inclusive Restrooms."
Hasselbeck read some sections of the proposed policy and dramatically asked "tonight, if this passes, what will you do." The banner: "Causing Confusion, Parents Outraged Over 'Gender Identity' Plan." (Notice the quotes around "gender identity" which suggest that gender identity isn't real.) Lafferty really didn't have an answer, but claimed that there are other humane ways to deal with gender identity.
As Lafferty continued to blame the Obama administration, the banner advanced the bogus anti-Obama agitprop: "Squeezing School Funds, Pressure From Federal Government to Change Policy." She warned that this could be coming to your town and it's all Obama's fault for forcing transgender teachers, who are "psychologically unhealthy,"onto third graders. After Hasselbeck described Lafferty's transphobic screed as a "strong message," she provided the address for the meeting.
Despite Fox & Friends doing its best to support the opposition, the non-discrimination policy was approved 10 to one. (The opponents, some of whom were ejected from the meeting, were quite raucous.) The school board chair said that this policy "will provide an environment which promotes equality where every student and employee is treated with dignity and respect." But for Fox News, "dignity and respect" are part of the "Trouble with Schools." Go figure.
