ABOVE: Nadine Smith on “Dr. Phil.” Screenshot via YouTube.
ST. PETERSBURG | Equality Florida Executive Director Nadine Smith appeared on “Dr. Phil” Oct. 19, debating co-founders of the anti-LGBTQ group Moms for Liberty on the merits of Parental Rights in Education, more widely known as Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay or Trans” law.
“Dr. Phil,” hosted by longtime TV personality Dr. Phil McGraw, says it “provides the most comprehensive forum on mental health issues in the history of television.” Smith took part in the 28th episode of the daytime talk show’s 21st season, “Parents Battle Over ‘Woke’ School Curriculum.”
“Over the last few years, schools have been getting their own report card with a lot of parents giving them a big red ‘F’ and bringing in the government to make changes,” Dr. Phil’s introduction began. “Why? Well, parents say they began to really see what was being taught during COVID quarantine; they had the time and they started paying attention and they were not happy.
“This is a huge nationwide debate right now, with one side saying we need to add a sensitivity chip into the curriculum and allow discussions on identity, race and sexuality in classrooms as young as kindergarten,” he continued. “The other side says certain topics are being taught to children who are too young and it’s happening without parents’ consent.”
Dr. Phil subsequently discussed Governor Ron DeSantis’ support for the law, which went into effect in July. Smith, erroneously billed as executive director for “Equality for Florida,” appeared alongside Florida educators Hanna and Dave Edwards, also the parents of a transgender child, to detail their opposition.
Tina Descovich and Tiffany Justice, the co-founders of Moms for Liberty billed as “moms on a mission to stoke the fires of liberty,” shared why they support it. Also appearing were Professor Jody Armour from the USC Gould School of Law, Attorney Candice Jackson and Republican State Rep. Joe Harding, the original bill’s chief sponsor.
Smith, a parent herself, began by reflecting on the state of education in Florida. She praised teachers for guiding students through the height of the pandemic.
“That’s why it’s really painful that we are seeing in the state of Florida the reputation of teachers being dragged through the mud,” she said. “That our schools are being treated as though teachers are a menace to children who need to be monitored and treated in in the way that we see through this ‘Don’t Say Gay’ legislation.”
“Great teachers want to create a safe learning environment for every child,” Smith continued. “They want to protect every kid, they want to respect every family, but unfortunately politicians have decided in a as a an election tactic to turn classrooms into part of their political calculations and that’s what brings us here.”
On Oct. 19, the day the episode aired, the Florida State Board of Education formally adopted new anti-LGBTQ rules “to further implement” the law in schools. Equality Florida noted they “intimidate school districts and teachers that affirm LGBTQ students.”
The episode featured a number of inaccurate claims, among them Descovich and Justice’s charges that LGBTQ-inclusive books in school libraries disproportionately feature sexual violence. Moms for Liberty has long advocated for the removal of LGBTQ content in libraries.
“We are not hostile toward the LGBTQ community,” Descovich said. “It’s unfortunate that many LGBTQ books have so much sexual violence in them; that’s an unfortunate thing that is happening, we’re sorry that is happening.”
Smith and the Edwards refuted the statements. During a segment with Rep. Harding, the conversation included a politically charged attack from the office of Gov. DeSantis.
The governor’s team falsely claimed that “these leftist politicians, corporate media outlets, some of these activist groups … support sexualizing kids in kindergarten. They support injecting woke gender ideology into second grade classrooms. They support enabling schools to ‘transition students to a different gender, without the knowledge of the parent, much less without the parent’s consent.’”
Harding’s segment ended when he was challenged to state LGBTQ students should be safe in schools. He did not.
Smith reflected on her appearance Oct. 21.
“These right-wing extremist groups use the same Big Lie strategy to attack the LGBTQ community that they are pushing to dismantle democracy and undermine elections,” she told Watermark. “They keep repeating the same ugly slurs we heard in the era of Anita Bryant and the consequences of their lies are just as dangerous.
“I’m especially proud to have shared the stage with parents of a trans kid who fight like hell every day to protect their child and others from this hateful rhetoric and these cruel policies,” Smith also noted. “More and more parents are standing up to ensure every child is protected and every family is respected.”
View the full episode below via YouTube, uploaded by “FtV Studios.”
https://youtu.be/EXJH6pTFig4
