GOP senator says her bill will shield minors from 'the transgender' — her Dem co-sponsor says otherwise
United States Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tennessee) recently suggested that the bipartisan Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) will protect "minor children from the transgender in this culture," NBC News reports.
The legislation introduced by the GOP lawmaker and U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Connecticut), NBC notes, was proposed to as a law that "would allow parents to sue social media companies and other online platforms if they do not sufficiently shield children under the age of 13 from harmful content on their platforms."
However, NBC reports that in a recently published video, Blackburn suggested that the bill should inspire GOP lawmakers to make "protecting minor children from the transgender in this culture" a top priority.
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According to the report, in the same video the Republican senator praises the Kids Online Safety Act as a way to do that.
Her co-sponsor disagrees.
"When asked about Blackburn's remarks and the subsequent response from transgender advocates," NBC reports Blumenthal said "that the Kids Online Safety Act 'does not target or censor anyone, including members of the LGBTQ community.'"
He added, "Striking the right balance between supporting safe online spaces and protecting against toxic content targeting LGBTQ youth is very important to us, which is why my staff and I had extensive and collaborative conversations with stakeholders, including LGBTQ groups, to further clarify the legislative text so that it better reflects the intent of the bill. Those changes are reflected in the reintroduced version of the bill."
Furthermore, the GOP senator's "legislative director, Jamie Susskind, pushed back on the notion that the bill would censor transgender content online and appeared to suggest that Blackburn misspoke," according to the report.
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The report highlights a recent Substack article written by trans advocate Erin Reed, in which she says "In an era where few legislative efforts garner cross-party support, the bill's broad appeal makes it particularly noteworthy. However, KOSA has also emerged as a troubling point of divergence, pitting LGBTQ+ activists against organizations meant to represent their interests, as well as Democratic officials who have otherwise been vocal critics of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation," which includes President Joe Biden, NBC notes.
Reed emphasized this "divide highlights the potential for a serious misstep by those who otherwise support transgender people and could result in significant harm for the community should it pass."
NBC's full report is available at this link.
