The Conservative Political Action Conference has withdrawn a speaking slot from gay alt-right figure Milo Yiannopoulos, after a selectively edited video clip apparently showed him expressing support for pedophilia.
According to Politico, the American Conservative Union, which sponsors CPAC, released a statement explaining why they disinvited Yiannopoulos. According to sources familiar with the situation, the ACU’s decision was unanimous.
“Due to the revelation of an offensive video in the past 24 hours condoning pedophilia, the American Conservative Union has decided to rescind the invitation,” said Matt Schlapp, chairman of the ACU.
The statement also called on Yiannopoulos to “further address these disturbing comments,” and defended the group’s original decision to have Yiannopoulos speak about his experiences with the political Left’s attempts to silence right-wing points of view on college campuses.
Yiannopoulos shot back at the charges against him in a Facebook post titled “A note for idiots.”
“I do not support pedophilia. Period. It is a vile and disgusting crime, perhaps the very worst,” Yiannopoulos wrote. “There are selectively edited videos doing the rounds, as part of a co-ordinated effort to discredit me from establishment Republicans, that suggest I am soft on the subject.
“If it somehow comes across (through my own sloppy phrasing or through deceptive editing) that I meant any of the ugly things alleged, let me set the record straight: I am completely disgusted by the abuse of children.”
Yiannopoulos also argues that he has contempt for and has outed suspected pedophiles in his career as a journalist for Breitbart.
He notes that, in the same interview now making the rounds, he said he agreed with the current age of consent, and apologizes for using the word “boy” when he talks about relationships between older and younger gay men, saying: “Gay men often use the word ‘boy’ when they refer to consenting adults. I understand that heterosexual people might not know that, so it was a sloppy choice of words that I regret.”
“This rush to judgment from establishment conservatives who hate Trump as much as they hate me, before I have had any chance to provide context or a response, is one of the big reasons gays vote Democrat,” Yiannopoulos writes. “In case there is any lingering doubt, here’s me, in the same interview the other footage is taken from, affirming that the current legal age of consent is about right: ‘And I think the law is probably about right. It’s probably roughly the right age. I think it’s probably about ok. But there are certainly people who are capable of giving consent at a younger age. I certainly consider myself to be one of them, people who were sexually active younger. I think it particularly happens in the gay world, by the way.'”
However, the ACU’s Schlapp said in his statement that Yiannopoulos’ Facebook post and the apology contained within were “insufficient.”
Several high-profile Texas Republicans are calling for a ban on transgender or gender-nonconforming individuals from teaching in schools, following comments by Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott.
Abbott made the comments during the keynote address at the annual convention of the Young Conservatives of Texas on April 20.
He seized on the story of Rachmad Tjachyadi, a former teacher from Lewisville, Texas. Tjachyadi resigned in March after Libs of TikTok posted pictures of him in dresses, tutus, and a costume of Ursula, the sea witch from The Little Mermaid.
Several Alabama Republicans have demanded the termination of a transgender employee at Space Camp, arguing that their presence poses a danger to participating students.
Space Camp, an educational program on the grounds of the U.S. Space & Rocket Center museum in Huntsville, Alabama, provides residential and educational programs for youth on topics such as space exploration, aviation, and robotics.
The center hosts approximately 26,000 youth annually, with specific programs for different age groups.
One of those programs, "Space Camp," primarily serves children aged 9 to 11. It seeks to balance educational, classroom-style learning with hands-on activities and entertainment offerings.
A group of students, parents, and teachers in Florida have reached a settlement with state educational authorities that clarifies several provisions in the state's infamous "Don't Say Gay" law.
The "Don't Say Gay" law, officially dubbed the "Parental Rights in Education" law, sought to limit students' exposure to LGBTQ issues and identities under the guise of keeping parents informed and giving them outsized influence over what subjects are broached in the classroom.
Soon after its passage, proponents of the law quickly dubbed opponents "groomers," claiming they wanted to indoctrinate children into adopting values or embracing ideas that run counter to their parents' morals or beliefs or expose them to age-inappropriate subjects. Republican lawmakers soon expanded the law's restrictions on K-3 classrooms to apply to all K-12 classrooms in the state.
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