Jen Psaki: Hate for queer people is "harsh and cruel"
Her podcast "News Not Noise" recently featured White House press secretary Jen Psaki. She is actually known for her coolness at the lectern. But in said podcast she showed herself from a particularly emotional side. At one point or another, she even struggled with tears.
One question that is likely to arise at this point is: What is it that upsets the - otherwise so - tough power woman so much?
The answer: Psaki spoke about the kind of hatred that queers in America face from Republicans. She used a number of examples to show the pressure under which those affected have to live.
It would leave her stunned to look at how some U.S. states act against the community - for example, based on legislation and bullying.
Queer youth in America face particularly severe discrimination
According to Psaki, queer youth in America suffer particularly from homophobic influences. A particularly recent example in this context is the "Don't Say Gay" law recently passed in Florida. Based on it, it is forbidden to educate about queer lifestyles in schools.
However, the increasing taboo leads to those affected being excluded more and more from society. According to the motto "What is excluded (or "not allowed") cannot be good," this would further fuel attacks on those affected, among other things.
At the point where Psaki talks about children suffering from bullying and the like, she audibly fights back tears... partly because this kind of discrimination also drives a wedge between the offspring and the rest of the family.
Jen Psaki absolutely cannot comprehend laws against queers and makes a political connection, among other things
Anyone who looks a little into the history of American legislation will quickly recognize that the topic of gays and co. is currently the subject of particularly intense debate. For Psaki, this is anything but a coincidence. She suspects that it's about taking a clear stand once again before the upcoming midterm elections and thus attracting as many voters as possible to one's own side.
She adds that she absolutely cannot understand how homophobia or a law can drive a wedge between parents and children. She goes on to say that the legislation is even directed AGAINST parents who want to have a loving relationship with their children, even if they are queer.
Jen Psaki: A champion of queer rights in the U.S.?!
With the dedicated Jen Psaki, the queer community in the U.S. has apparently found a strong power woman who stands up for the rights of queer people and is also with the necessary emotion in the matter.
With laws - some of them recent - affecting the rights of the LGBTQI+ community in the future, supporters of the anti-queer movement are given a kind of justification to explicitly exclude those who do not fit their "norm."
At least people like Jen Psaki give the community hope that this kind of homophobia will be met with a strong force. It remains to be seen how politics in the U.S. (and, of course, society itself) will evolve in this area.