U.S.A.: Tim Walz defends trans people from Republican attacks

Last week, Minnesota Governor and Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz strongly supported transgender rights during his appearance on the We Can Do Hard Things podcast.

In the conversation, co-host Abby Wambach mentioned Walz’s involvement in sponsoring a gay-straight alliance during his tenure as a schoolteacher in the 1990s. She expressed appreciation, saying, “Well, thank you Governor Walz so much for protecting, even in the late ’90s, queer kids. And so I have to ask, what will a Harris-Walz administration do to protect our queer kids today?”

In response, according to ‘LGBTQ Nation’, Walz discussed potential initiatives he and Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris could pursue, including advocating for LGBTQ+ rights, opposing hate crimes, and enhancing education. He also emphasised the importance of judicial appointments. “We need to appoint judges who uphold the right to marriage, uphold the right to be who you are, making sure that’s the case, uphold the right to get the medical care that you need,” Walz said. “We should not be naive. Those appointments are really, really important. I think that’s what the vice president is committed to.”

He moved on to address the negative impact of anti-trans advertisements nationwide, which have been a focal point for former President Donald Trump during his campaign as the Republican presidential nominee.

“We see it now: The hate has shifted to the trans community,” Walz said. “They see that as an opportunity. If you’re watching any sporting events right now, you see that Donald Trump’s closing arguments are to demonize a group of people for being who they are.”

“We’re out there trying to make the case that access to healthcare, a clean environment, manufacturing jobs, and keeping your local hospital open are what people are really concerned about,” he continued. “They’re running millions of dollars of ads demonizing folks who are just trying to live their lives.”

Walz also spoke about the challenges queer kids face when coming out and how that experience can transform a family’s political views.

“Look, you’re reaching a lot of folks in hearing this, and for some people, [their anti-LGBTQ+ prejudice is] not even out of malice and it’s not a pejorative; it’s out of ignorance,” he said. “They maybe have not been around people. You’ve all seen this, however it takes you to get there. But I know it’s a little frustrating when you see folks have an epiphany when their child comes out to them.”

Vice President Harris echoed similar sentiments, albeit more briefly, during her recent interview with Fox News' Brett Baier. While questioned on trans rights, she shifted the focus to enforcing existing laws that protect trans individuals, noting that most Americans do not see trans issues as a priority, viewing them instead as a diversion from more urgent matters.