Tucker Carlson rips activist for promoting LGBT indoctrination in schools

Fox show host Tucker Carlson expressed what he called parental “outrage” when an LGBT activist defended a school’s plan to help children change their sex or race without parents’ knowledge or consent. 

Tucker Carlson was questioning LGBTQ activist Mark Purpura of Equality Delaware about a proposal in Delaware to allow schools to help children “change” their sex or race without the children’s parents knowing. 

“We don’t let kids make any decisions without their parents because their parents are in charge of them,” Carlson began on “Tucker Carlson Tonight” last Wednesday. “Why should they be encouraged to make a decision this profound without letting their parents know?”

Purpura said that the measure was not meant to encourage children to make decisions, but simply to allow them to “identify their gender or their race for school records purposes.” 

Parents can be applied to for permission to make the change, but the school considers whether or not the parents should be consulted.

“The simple fact is that some parents are simply not going to be supportive of their child [“changing” sex or race] and it may endanger the child’s safety or well-being to involve that parent in that decision,” said Purpura.  

“Who makes that decision?” asked Carlson. 

“The school would make the decision, but I think what’s missing here it that,” the activist began before Carlson interrupted.

 “No, what’s missing here is outrage,” the commentator stated, “so let me supply some. The school has no right to take away parental decision-making from parents. The children do not belong to school administrators. They are members of the family from which they came. How dare a school take that prerogative away from parents? Where did they get the right to do that?”

Purpura assumed an expression of acute long-suffering.

“Tucker, they’re not taking the prerogative away from parents,” he said.

“Obviously they are,” Carlson replied.

But Purpura saw it differently.

“First of all, it’s only in rare circumstances that a school would come to a determination that involving the parents is going to endanger the safety and well-being of the child,” he argued.

'Who has the right to decide that?'

“Who has the right to decide that?” Carlson demanded. “And where does that right come from? Where does a school administrator have the right to override parental judgment in the case of a child?”

Purpura said that the issue wasn’t overriding parental judgment but “protecting the safety and well-being of that [sex- or race-changing] child”.

“Says who? On the basis of what?” Carlson interrupted. “Oh, stop. I’m a parent of four. I can tell you that the most sacrosanct right you have as a parent is to influence the development of your child. In order to violate that right, you need a court order.”

“But you’re saying that a school official can just decide it’s not in the child’s interests,” he continued, “and I’m asking you where you get the right to violate millennia of sacred tradition and make that decision in place of a parent.”

“Simple question: where’s that right come from?”

Purpura refused to answer the question, choosing instead to focus on the “dignity” and “respect” of the sex- or race-changing child. He seemed to assume that children who informed their teachers that they were really members of the opposite sex or another race would be harmed, or even abandoned, if their parents found out. 

“Tucker, the child has a right to dignity and respect in school,” the LGBT activist said, “and they shouldn’t have to choose between that dignity and respect and being unsafe at home, being subject to potential physical violence, mental anguish, or even worse, homelessness.”

But Carlson wouldn’t be diverted from the topic of parents’ rights.

“But someone has to make the decision [to change the listed sex and race of the child] . The].s a subjective decision to be made about what’s best for the child,” he observed. “And that decision is always made by parents unless a court determines that the parents are unable to make the right decision. It takes a court to do that.” 

 Purpura disagreed. 

“We send children to schools, and administrators and teachers make those decisions every day.”

Carlson did not buy the argument.

Political extremists think their views are more important than the rights of parents.

“About what race and sex the child is? Are you joking? This has never been tried in any place in the world, and for you to pretend that it’s no big deal, and that nobody’s rights are getting violated--!”

Parental rights, he said, are now being ignored because of political extremists like Purpura who “think their views are more important than the rights of parents.”

Purpura argued that there is precedence for the Delaware proposal, citing similar policies in Oregon, Washington, and Massachusetts. 

“Oh, going back, like, about six months,” Carlson scoffed. “This has never happened in human history. We didn’t used to believe three years ago that you could change your sex or your race. So this is all brand new. So at least pay me the compliment of acknowledging this is brand new. This has never been tried.”
“This is not brand new,” Purpura insisted, which brought more protest from Carlson.

“Changing your race is an old thing?” he exclaimed. “How far back does that extend…? Is it in British common law? What are you talking about?”

“It’s not changing your race, Tucker,” said the activist. “It’s identifying your race.” 

“Okay, look. We’re not having a biology conversation,” said Carlson, “... but I’m just telling you as a factual matter, no society has ever done that until very, very recently.” 

“It’s happening in school districts, and it’s been implemented seamlessly across school districts across the country,” Purpura said. 

“But the rights of parents over their own children are being violated because of activists,” his host insisted.  

Then the incensed Carlson got personal.

“I’m going to stand up and say it,” he said. “I don’t care. I’m not afraid of you, and I think it’s fair to say that parents are losing their rights to this over their own children. And I think that’s something we need to think about.”

Purpura said that he agreed that parental involvement was important, but did not answer Carlson’s questions about parental rights.  

Carlson accused Purpura and other LBGT activists of trying to bully people in going along with regulations allowing guidance counsellors or other school administrators to override parental rights.