After a long and arduous wait, Vice President Kamala Harris finally selected Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate.
The move has been widely welcomed by Democrats and LGBTQ advocacy groups close to the party. However, the move has given new fodder for Republicans to attack the Democrats.
Republicans first labelled Walz as a liberal extremist.
The stridently pro-LGBTQ record of the Governor has also been attacked by the Republicans.
Republicans Attack Tim Walz Over His Controversial “Tampon Bill”?
Karoline Leavitt, a spokesperson for former President Donald Trump’s campaign, was talking to Fox News and said,
“As a woman, I think there is no greater threat to our health than leaders who support gender transition surgeries for young minors, who support putting tampons in men’s bathrooms in public schools,”
Tim Walz had last year, through an executive order, made sure to make access to medically necessary gender-affirming healthcare treatments, which include surgical processes for minors, only in extremely rare circumstances.
Walz also signed a bill popularly known as “Tampon Bill” in 2023 which made it mandatory for schools to provide menstrual products in schools for all students “in restrooms regularly used by students in grades 4 through 12.”
The bill was authored by a Democratic Minnesota State Representative, Sandra Feist, who, while talking to the New York Times, revealed that she had received emails from trans students, “parents, teachers, librarians, custodians from across the country.
The emails revealed the difficulties faced by trans students who needed these products and having access to these facilities meant so much to them.
However, Tim Walz’s pro-trans record gave fodder for a vicious attack by conservative activists and pundits, such as Chaya Raichik, creator of Libs of TikTok.
The group Southern Poverty Law Center considers her an anti-LGBTQ extremist.
Many of her right-wing supporters began calling the governor “tampon Tim” online.
Donald Trump, Jr., wrote on X,
“I can’t imagine too many parents are OK with the government helping their children permanently mutilate their bodies without parental consent, while also revoking and keeping custody if they don’t go along with the insanity!”
Donald Trump, Jr.’s reaction is misplaced since the executive order, referred to by the former President’s son, only directs the state bodies to coordinate to ensure that the interests of people or entities who are providing, assisting, seeking, or obtaining gender-affirming healthcare services are protected.
The bill also stipulated that Minnesota will facilitate any actions by other states to penalize individuals and entities seeking gender-affirming healthcare services.
The bill also will not entertain any requests by other states to extradite persons charged with committing acts related to, securing of, or receiving gender-affirming healthcare services.
Tim Walz has made significant efforts to protect the rights of L.G.B.T.Q. people in Minnesota as governor.
His support for gay rights goes back to the time when he worked as a high school teacher in the 1990s.
Tim Walz also signed the bill which made Minnesota a legal refuge for transgender people.
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