Tucker Carlson guest says ‘CNN is gay’ in angry segment championing Florida’s ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill

‘It means telling LGBTQ youth they aren’t equal’, says campaigner of ‘wacky’ attack

A Tucker Carlson Tonight guest has been condemned for “shameful” remarks about LGBT+ campaigners after he described opponents of Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill as “wacky”.

Chadwick Moore, a gay man who five years ago “came out as a conservative”, told Fox News’s Tucker Carlson on Wednesday that “wacky gay activists” and “gay media like CNN” were wrong to oppose Florida’s bill.

The bill, which has been supported by Republican governor Ron DeSantis, would ban schools and teachers from discussing “sexual orientation or gender identity” with primary school students.

LGBT+ campaigners and the White House have both condemned the bill, which many argue will marginalise LGBT+ children and families, as well as cease discussions about LGBT+ history.

Mr Moore told Mr Carlson: “This bill says basically you cant have classroom wide discussions from five to eight-year-olds about gender identity and sexual orientation. You can one-on-one discussions, kids can talk about what they will and ask questions about what they will but you can’t have discussions with a five year old about switching their gender in a classroom setting.”

“What is wrong with this?... None,” said the editor of Get Outspoken US and Spectator World. “They want to demonise the ‘Dont Say Gay’ bill, you got Pete Buttigieg’s husband saying its gonna kill gay people. What are they even talking about, its so in another world.”

The exchange between Mr Moore and the Fox News anchor – who said attacks on the “Don’t Say Gay” bill were “a fundraising opportunity for the human rights campaign” – were condemned by LGBT+ people and allies on social media on Wednesday night.

“Chadwick Moore you just proved the point of the opposition. ‘You can’t have open discussions in the classroom about gender, sexuality’ so no children will be able to talk about their two dads or their two moms,” wrote LGBT+ activist Seattle Boone. “Also, Chadwick ... I knew I was gay when I was 5, and I hide. Like you.”

He continued: “This is not about 5-8 year olds. It’s up to 6th grade. Which includes the years when sex ed starts. Why lie? Because the bill sucks and Republican gay men want power, even if it means telling lgbtq youth they aren’t equal. Shameful.”

Mr Moore added: “If wacky gay activists – childish wacky gay activists – want to drive the White House, the Democrat Party, gay media like CNN into this arena of demonising concerned parents after what happened in Virginia last year, and this year now with the midterms coming up, I mean more power to ‘em, it’s a terrible look.”

Virginia’s gubernatorial race was won by a Republican, Glenn Youngkin, last year on the back of concerns about so-called “Critical Race Theory” being taught in classrooms, as well as opposition to Covid measures being imposed on schools.

Republicans across the US have introduced or sought to introduce laws banning the discussion of both systematic racism (or Critical Race Theory), and LGBT+ rights – with transgender students among the biggest targets of the right.