A transgender Minnesota lawmaker ignited an online firestorm after bizarrely arguing against age limits on porn sites — claiming “queer” kids need access to the X-rated content for “educational” purposes.
State Rep. Leigh Finke, a two-term Democrat who identifies as a woman, pushed back against a proposal that would require age checks on porn websites to shield children from accessing the raunchy adult material — wildly insisting the bill would be weaponized against the LGBTQ+ community.
The pol claimed attorneys general in states with age-verification laws are “almost jubilant” at the chance to block queer kids from explicit content that could “educate” them about their sexuality and community.
“They’re almost jubilant about being able to use these laws to ban young people from accessing content that could be educational if they are queer,” Finke, who transitioned in 2017, contended during a committee meeting Thursday.
“You’re a principal, you have LGBT students in your school, and we also know that they’re not receiving sex education for queer kids, we know that prurient interest could be for many people the very existence of transgender kids. More and more people are saying, there are simply no transgender kids.”
The lefty lawmaker’s odd rant sparked outrage after Moms of Liberty, a conservative parents group, shared a clip of the remarks on X.
“What a strange (but not shocking in the least) position to take,” one user blasted.
Another said: “It is concerning @LeighFinke prefers minors have access to adult content.” --->READ MORE HERE
In a contentious hearing at the Minnesota State Capitol on Thursday, Democratic State Representative Leigh Finke, the state’s first openly transgender legislator, voiced strong opposition to a bill requiring age verification for websites containing material harmful to minors, claiming porn can be “educational” for queer kids.
Finke argued that such restrictions could block access to “educational” content for queer children.
House File 1434 (HF 1434), introduced by Republican Rep. Ben Bakeberg, aims to protect minors from explicit online content by mandating age verification on websites where at least one-third of the material appeals to a “prurient interest” in nudity, sex, or excretion, or depicts sexual conduct in a patently offensive way.
The bill defines “harmful to minors” based on standards lacking serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value for youth.
It would allow the state Attorney General to enforce and create a private right of action for parents or guardians to sue noncompliant sites for up to $10,000 per violation, plus actual damages and attorney’s fees.
During the Commerce Finance and Policy Committee hearing, supporters like Renee Carlson, general counsel for True North Legal, emphasized the bill’s focus on shielding children from a “predatory industry.”
Carlson cited the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Free Speech Coalition v. Paxton, which upheld similar age verification laws, arguing that the measure is constitutional and prioritizes child safety over First Amendment concerns. --->READ MORE HERE
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