“Mr. Rivkin: Thank you for empowering parents through the provision of tools that enable them to identify television (TV) content that is not suitable for certain ages. In recent years, concerning topics of a sexual nature have become aggressively politicized and promoted in children’s programming, including irreversible and harmful experimental treatments for mental disorders like gender dysphoria. To this end, we strongly urge you to update the TV Parental Guidelines and ensure they are up-to-date on best practices that help inform parents on this disturbing content… Recently, a video emerged showing a prominent executive at children’s entertainment giant Disney saying she supports having “many, many, many LGBTQIA+ characters in our stories.’ To the detriment of children, gender dysphoria has become sensationalized in the popular media and television with radical activists and entertainment companies. This radical and sexual sensation not only harms children, but also destabilizes and damages parental rights.”
“This same company has concerningly denounced and vowed to work to repeal a recently passed Florida parental rights law that bans classroom instruction on sexual orientation or gender identity in kindergarten through third grade… Considering that the cognitive markers of sexual desire emerge during puberty when adolescents undergo natural hormonal and physiological changes, it is wholly inappropriate to display this content in a TV-Y7 category and for other young audiences… The Board is obligated to ensure the rating criteria helps parents be informed about mature content before it is displayed to their children. In light of parents raising legitimate concerns on sexual orientation and gender identity content on children’s TV shows, we expect the Board to fulfill its responsibility in updating the TV Parental Guidelines to reflect these concerns.”
“In updating the TV Parental Guidelines, please consider precedent on how the Board has rated sexually related, violent, and obscene materials to ensure it is applied without ideological bias. We would appreciate a reply on the Board’s plan no later than Wednesday, May 18, 2022. In addition, we request an in-person briefing with members of the TV Parental Guidelines Monitoring Board. Specifically, this briefing will give the Board the opportunity to present its findings and answer questions about the Board’s review process. Thank you for reviewing this request and working with Congress to ensure this is done in a timely manner,” says a pretty twisted letter to TV Parental Guidelines Monitoring Board Chairman Charles Rivkin signed by Republican Senators Roger Marshall, Mike Lee, Mike Braun, Steve Daines, and Kevin Cramer