Chris Wallace Asks Jen Psaki if ‘Don’t Say Gay’ Bill Has Merit: ‘Don’t Parents Have A Right To Have Concern?’

CNN+ host Chris Wallace asked White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki to defend her criticism of Florida’s so-called “Don’t Say Gay” law, suggesting it addresses legitimate parental concerns.

Mr. Wallace conducted a thorough and quite collegial interview with Ms. Psaki on the latest episode of the CNN+ series Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace, but didn’t hesitate to plunge into sensitive territory.

For example, he played a clip of Psaki’s tearful reaction to anti-LGBTQ+ laws like Florida’s, and asked “Why so emotional?”

Psaki replied, among other things, that “it is something that hit me in my heart as a parent, and a mom, and somebody who wants all kids to be treated equally, and be given kind of a loving chance by society. But yes, I had a reaction because I’m a human being, like we all are, and I think this is an issue that I found to be, as I noted there, pretty outrageous.”

Wallace then asked Ms. Psaki if the law, despite the “inflammatory language” of its supporters, addressed a legitimate concern — and suggested it was a concern he would share. Psaki did not agree:

MR. WALLACE: I just want to drill down a little bit here, though, Jen, because look, I understand that it’s it’s an emotionally fraught issue. I understand that some of the supporters of the bill have used inflammatory language, saying that opponents of the bill want to sexualize children or groom children. On the other hand, don’t parents have a right to have concern? I mean, we’re talking specifically here about teaching about sex in kindergarten through third grade. I have to say as a parent, I would have problems with that.

MS. LIASSON: But the law’s not about teaching sex education, it’s about teaching about gender identity. And so what do you do if a parent or a kid, should I say a kid, in one of these elementary schools says, “What about Sally? Sally has two moms,” or “I’m not sure if I’m a girl or a boy.”

I mean, these are kids who are experiencing, you know, these moments in their lives. I also think that these are not, there is not a big record of there being either sex education or extensive gender identity education in these schools. And this is creating a problem, or a political cudgel, about an issue that I don’t think exists.

Watch above via CNN+.