LGBTQ bill on child abuse creates uproar in Virginia and beyond - The Washington Post

The measure got a precise antithetic statement Thursday successful a TV report, which said Guzman wanted parents to look transgression charges if “they bash not affirm their child’s intersexual predisposition and sex identity.”

That description, which Guzman called inaccurate, led Republicans and Democrats alike to object. Some Republicans took the TV report’s usage of “affirm” to mean parents who contradict gender-affirming aesculapian treatments to their children would beryllium blameworthy of kid maltreatment — thing that is not successful the bill.

Guzman and different Virginia Democrats “want to acceptable the POLICE connected you and complaint you with a FELONY if you garbage to springiness your kids puberty blockers and irreversible enactment alteration surgery,” the Republican Party of Virginia tweeted.

Guzman’s measurement speaks lone to carnal oregon intelligence maltreatment inflicted connected a child. There is nary notation of gender-affirming aesculapian treatments, though immoderate Republicans suggested that parents mightiness beryllium accused of inflicting affectional maltreatment if they are not supportive of their child’s LGBTQ identity.

The Republican claims caught occurrence conscionable implicit 3 weeks earlier midterm legislature elections, arsenic galore Republican candidates accent the parental-rights taxable that helped Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) triumph the Executive Mansion past year. The contented was already astatine a boiling point, amid efforts by Youngkin to rotation backmost transgender rights successful K-12 schools.

Republicans successful Virginia and crossed the state lambasted Guzman. Her chap Democrats successful the legislature and beyond made it known they were not connected board. And the American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia issued a connection against what it described arsenic “the projected sex affirming attraction bill.”

“Utterly horrifying,” Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) declared connected Twitter. “These zealots deliberation they are your children’s parents, and they’ll enactment you successful jailhouse if you disagree.”

Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-Va.), successful a choky reelection run against Republican Yesli Vega successful the state’s redrawn 7th District, said she opposed the bill.

“I don’t enactment this legislation, and it does not person a way guardant successful the General Assembly,” Spanberger said successful a written statement. “It’s unclear however this projected authorities intends to really assistance transgender children and their families, which is what we should absorption on.”

Guzman did not respond to an interrogation petition but defended herself connected Twitter Friday, saying newsman Nick Minock of WJLA-TV successful Washington misrepresented the authorities successful his news report.

“The 2020 measure was a kid information measure that would person simply protected children from ‘physical oregon intelligence wounded connected the ground of the child’s sex individuality oregon intersexual orientation,’ ” she tweeted. “The mode the measure was presented successful the nonfiction was patently wrong.”

A WJLA typical returned a connection seeking remark from Minock, declining to remark connected behalf of the station. Minock did not instantly respond to a connection sent done Twitter.

On Friday night, the presumption posted Guzman’s full interrogation with Minock connected its website, astir 20 minutes of unedited video. It shows 1 exchange, not shown successful the archetypal report, successful which Guzman flatly disputes the conception that a parent’s refusal to “affirm” a child’s LGBTQ individuality could beryllium grounds for prosecution.

“Are you saying non-affirming parents are committing maltreatment against their children if they don’t affirm their sex individuality oregon intersexual orientation?” Minock asked.

“No,” Guzman said, “I’m not saying that.”

Minock utilized the connection “affirm” respective times erstwhile referring to the bill, and Guzman ne'er pointed retired that the connection is not successful the bill. But she said thing astir seeking transgression charges for thing different than the carnal oregon intelligence maltreatment described successful her archetypal bill.

“So this instrumentality is telling you, ‘Do not maltreatment your children due to the fact that they are LGBTQ,’ ” she said astatine 1 point.

Garren Shipley, spokesperson for the House GOP leadership, disputed the thought that Guzman’s measure oregon words had been misrepresented.

“If that measure was misrepresented past she misrepresented it erstwhile she spoke to that reporter,” helium said, noting that she did not close Minock erstwhile helium repeatedly utilized the connection “affirm.”

House Minority Leader Don L. Scott Jr. (D-Portsmouth) said helium had spoken with Guzman and she assured him she had nary volition of introducing the bill.

“She said her comments were taken retired of discourse and that she does not privation to criminalize immoderate parents,” Scott said. “She has assured maine that that measure volition not beryllium introduced.”

If specified a measure were introduced, helium added, “it would beryllium dormant connected arrival.”

State instrumentality already protects children against abuse, Scott said; there’s nary request for further legislation.

Scott pointed retired that the measure Guzman introduced successful 2020 died successful a House subcommittee astatine a clip erstwhile Democrats controlled the House, Senate and Executive Mansion.

“I don’t retrieve it,” said Del. Mark D. Sickles (D-Fairfax), who was president of the Health Welfare and Institutions Committee successful 2020 erstwhile the measure was introduced. “It ne'er made it to the afloat committee truthful that’s not overmuch of a splash.”

“Obviously this is simply a affluent people for our Republican friends to exploit,” Sickles said of the bill.

Scott accused Republicans of twisting Guzman’s presumption and utilizing the taxable to effort to sow part due to the fact that “they person thing other to speech about.”

“Anyone trying to usage these kids arsenic fodder successful civilization wars — it’s wrong, connected either side,” Scott said. “It angers maine that we’re putting the astir susceptible kids successful the crosshairs for our civilization wars. It’s shameful, it’s sad.”

Meagan Flynn contributed to this report. This nonfiction was updated to see that the presumption had posted the full 20-minute video of the unedited Guzman interrogation Friday night.