Fox News is very busy right now trying their best to ignore the Jan. 6 hearings, despite them being a ratings boon. (Meanwhile, Donald Trump’s Truth Social is going so far as to boot anyone who mentions them.) They desperately need counterprogramming. Perhaps that’s why they wound up airing a segment on a subject that many of their viewers do not like: an empathetic portrayal of a trans teen.
(Thread) I have appeared on Fox News many times. I appreciate the platform they’ve given me. If what I’m about to say ruins that relationship, so be it. We have to call this evil lunacy out wherever we see it. Especially on our own side.
— The Honorable Matt Walsh (@MattWalshBlog) June 10, 2022
The right-leaning segment highlighted a 14-year-old, described by correspondent Bryan Llenas as a “typical California teenager.” It goes on to portray how his family came to accept him after he came out as transgender at five years old. They were “confused” at first, confessing that they thought “gender and sexuality were the same thing.” But they eventually realized “those two things are different” and supported his transition.
It’s a heartwarming segment, and it will help lots of other families. But it naturally enraged prominent conservatives. Among them were Matt Walsh, who recently released an anti-trans documentary. “I have appeared on Fox News many times. I appreciate the platform they’ve given me. If what I’m about to say ruins that relationship, so be it,” he wrote. “Everyone involved should be fired immediately.”
Ben Shapiro, head of the rightwing The Daily Wire and noted “WAP” critic, was also incensed. “This would be absolute despicable insane lunacy if I saw it on CNN or MSNBC,” he wrote. “To see it on Fox News is a complete betrayal of anything remotely resembling conservatism or decency.”
There was more raging on Truth Social, not that you need to see any of that. Congrats to the family and may their story inspire others.
(Via The Daily Beast)