Fox News host Tucker Carlson calls for bigots to ‘fight back’ during chilling anti-LGBTQ+ rant
Tucker Carlson accused schools and hospitals of committing “sex crimes”. (Fox News)
Fox News host Tucker Carlson has accused LGBTQ-inclusive schools and hospitals providing care to trans youth of committing “sex crimes”, and urged viewers to “fight back” during his TV brodcast.
On Monday’s (19 September) episode of Tucker Carlson Tonight, Carlson described discussion of sexuality in schools as “horrifying” and claimed that “it’s sexualising children”.
“In a healthy country, with an intact social fabric, neighbourhood dads would give out instant justice to anyone who even thought about sexualising their kids,” he said.
Carlson told viewers that schools, as well as hospitals caring for trans kids, are committing “sex crimes” by “sexually abusing children”, and added: “The people committing them should be punished.
“Now, try and say that out loud anywhere but on Fox News. You can’t. Why can’t you? Because it’s true, that’s why. You can’t say the truth things. You can claim that the Earth is flat and no one gets exorcised.
“But when you start saying things like ‘all lives matter’, or ‘sexualising my children is a crime and if you keep it up, I’m going to hurt you because I am the dad’, say that and you’re done.”
In what appeared to be a call to arms, Tucker Carlson continued: “What you’re seeing is a society that hates children… No one should put up with this. No parent should put up with this for one second, no matter what the law says.
“Your duty – your moral duty – is to defend your children. This is an attack on your children and you should fight back.”
Media Matters for America researcher Kat Abu tweeted: “Tucker Carlson is openly calling for violence against teachers and LGBTQ+ people.”
Tucker Carlson is openly calling for violence against teachers and LGBTQ+ people:
"No parent should put up with this for one second, no matter what the law says. Your moral duty is to defend your children. This is an attack on your children and you should fight back." pic.twitter.com/dwMkO057Ne
— Kat Abu (@abughazalehkat) September 20, 2022
Every LGBTQ+ teacher has a target on their back thanks to this monster. https://t.co/BuZzPbTqHG— kyleminor.bsky.social (@kyleminor) September 20, 2022
https://twitter.com/benwritesthings/status/1572231441970495488
I can’t emphasize enough that Tucker Carlson is going to get LGBTQ people killed. https://t.co/u4oJpd5Fwt— Charlotte Clymer 🇺🇦 (@cmclymer) September 20, 2022
Dangerous rhetoric against LGBTQ+ people is increasingly translating to real-world violence in the US.
This month, a woman was arrested and charged with making a bomb threat against a children’s hospital that provides gender-affirming care for trans youth, after the hospital was targeted by an anti-trans smear campaign.
Children’s Drag Queen Story Hour events are being targeted with violence, and trans and gender non-conforming people continue to be murdered at alarming rates across the country.
Sharing the clip of Carlson’s rant, activist Charlotte Clymer tweeted: “I can’t emphasise enough that Tucker Carlson is going to get LGBTQ people killed.”
