A group of Senate Republicans called on the TV Parental Guidelines Monitoring Board to create TV blockers for parents, affording them the option to shield children from LGBTQ shows, characters, and other situations.
The television monitoring board assists parents in identifying programming with violent or sexual content, and now Republican lawmakers would also like to establish alerts for "sexual orientation and gender identity content on children's TV shows."
In a letter to Charles Rivkin, chairman of the TV Parental Guidelines Monitoring Board, co-signatory Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., cited three shows to the Kansas City Star that are potential causes for concern: the Netflix program "She-Ra and the Princess Power," and Nickelodeon's "Danger Force" and "The Loud House."
For example, a character on "She-Ra, named Double Trouble, is a nonbinary shape-shifting mercenary voiced by Jacob Tobia, a self-described nonbinary actor.
The Netflix series also features multiple same-sex relationships.
The Nickelodeon "Danger Force" show made network history when it cast a trans teen actor for the show.
Republican senators fear these characters could be harmful influences on children, especially those who cannot comprehend certain subject matter.
"This radical and sexual sensation not only harms children, but also destabilizes and damages parental rights," the senators wrote in a letter to Rivkin.
In addition to Marshall, Sens. Mike Braun, R-Ind., Steve Daines, R-Mont., Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., and Mike Lee, R-Utah also signed the letter.
The Walt Disney Co. was also referenced in the letter.
Disney recently spoke out against a Florida law signed by GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis prohibiting instruction related to sexual orientation and gender identity for kids in kindergarten through third grade.
"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," the senators wrote.
The congressional Telecommunications Act of 1996 gave parents more flexibility to control the types of television shows watched by their kids by requiring TV manufacturers to use technology to block programs with mature-content ratings.
Under the TV guidelines board's current ratings, "TV-G" programs contain no sexual dialogue or situations, while "TV-PG" shows can include some sexual situations, and "TV-14" programming can include intense sexual situations.
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