[RETRACTED] Democratic Lawmakers Push Bill That Could Make Pedophiles a Protected Class
RETRACTION, May 7, 2023: The Western Journal has retracted this article originally syndicated from the Daily Caller News Foundation.
On April 26, 2023, Minnesota lawmakers took up a piece of legislation that, among other things, amended Minnesota Statutes 2022, sections 363A.03, subdivision 44 by removing the following sentence: “Sexual orientation does not include a physical or sexual attachment to children by an adult.” News outlets picked up on the deletion of those words, and coverage began on a national level.
Later that same day, DCNF published the syndicated piece below.
Also later that same day, the proposed amendment was further amended to include the following general exclusion: “363A.265 General Exclusions: The physical or sexual attachment to children by an adult is not a protected class under this chapter.”
It is unclear whether the DCNF piece was published before or after the new general exclusion had been adopted, though it seems likely to have been published after due to the article’s publication timestamp of 10:06 p.m.
It was not certain what impact the removal of the original exclusion language would have had. The Western Journal’s title and DCNF’s title and first paragraph acknowledged this, suggesting the removal “could” create either a de jure or de facto protected class. DCNF also reached out to bill author Leigh Finke, who did not respond to its request for comment.
It is now certain, however, that with the adoption of the new exclusion amendment, there is no longer a chance that this legislation will result in pedophiles becoming a protected class. If for no other reason than that, the DCNF article syndicated below does not reflect reality and is therefore retracted.
Democratic Minnesota state representatives introduced legislation that could end the exclusion of pedophilia from legal protections of sexual orientation in state law.
The state’s existing anti-discrimination law excludes sexual attraction to children from legally protected sexual orientations, but HF 1655 would remove that exclusion.
The bill describes itself as “removing certain sections in the human rights act that allow for discrimination based on sexual orientation.”
The phrase “‘sexual orientation’ does not include a physical or sexual attachment to children by an adult” would be struck from the legal definition of sexual orientation if the bill passes.
Sexual orientation is a protected legal class in Minnesota in areas of employment, housing, public accommodations, public service, educational institutions, credit and business discrimination.
The legislation also creates a legal definition for gender identity and specifies that gender identity may not match one’s biological sex and may not be visible to others.
Leigh Finke, who is listed first among the bill’s authors, is transgender and frequently speaks out against legal restrictions on child sex changes.
Finke did not respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment, but did make a statement on Twitter in response to blowback against the bill.
“The past 36 hours in this job have been the most difficult so far,” Finke wrote. “I’ve been confronted, called the worst things possible, threatened with murder. The volume has been greater than at any point.
“All for a lie told about a small bill that changes nothing about sexual orientation.”
The past 36 hours in this job have been the most difficult so far. I’ve been confronted, called the worst things possible, threatened with murder.
The volume has been greater than at any point. All for a lie told about a small bill that changes nothing about sexual orientation. pic.twitter.com/rtnz1irRay— Leigh Finke (@leighfinke) April 27, 2023
So much cruelty. For what? For a one minute floor debate on a 2 line amendment that received a unanimous vote. Literally. No. Controversy. Folks could have listened, but they didn’t want to. They instead used the opportunity to amplify the hatred of trans people.
— Leigh Finke (@leighfinke) April 27, 2023
There was never a controversy, but it didn’t matter. The lie exploded into a whirlwind of hate intended to hurt me.
And it worked! Congratulations. I’m left hurt, and scared. People I thought were kind, showed otherwise. I can’t changed that. We can only move forward.
Onward.— Leigh Finke (@leighfinke) April 27, 2023
“So much cruelty. For what? For a one minute floor debate on a 2 line amendment that received a unanimous vote. Literally. No. Controversy. Folks could have listened, but they didn’t want to. They instead used the opportunity to amplify the hatred of trans people.”
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