FACT CHECK: Did Tim Walz Sign Bill Protecting Pedophiles From Discrimination?
A post shared on social media purports that Minnesota Governor Tim Walz signed a bill making it illegal to discriminate against pedophiles.
As Minnesota governor, Tim Walz signed a bill making it illegal to discriminate against pedophiles under the state’s civil rights law.
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— AF Post (@AFpost) August 7, 2024
Verdict: Misleading
The Take Pride Act removes language that explicitly separates pedophilia from other sexual orientations in the Minnesota’s Human Rights Act.
Fact Check:
Vice Presidential candidate JD Vance attacked Walz for his military service and accused him of “abandoning” his unit, The New York Times reported. Vance suggested that Walz quit the Army National Guard just before he was scheduled to deploy to Iraq.
A post shared on X, formerly known as Twitter, alleges that Walz signed a bill that explicitly prohibited discrimination against pedophiles. The post shared a photo of Walz wearing a brown jacket with a green hat and clapping.
The caption reads, “As Minnesota governor, Tim Walz signed a bill making it illegal to discriminate against pedophiles under the state’s civil rights law.”
The claim is inaccurate. However, the Take Pride Act does remove language that explicitly separates pedophilia from other sexual orientations in the Minnesota’s Human Rights Act.
The original version of the law featured a line that explicitly excluded pedophilia as a category of sexual orientation. The law previously read, “Sexual orientation’ does not include a physical or sexual attachment to children by an adult,” according to The Daily Wire. The new Take Pride Act would remove that language. (RELATED: Donald Trump Claims Kamala Harris Never Passed Her Bar Exam)
The law now reads, “Sexual orientation. ‘Sexual orientation’ means to whom someone is, or is perceived of as being, emotionally, physically, or sexually attracted to based on sex or gender identity.”
The bill introduced by transgender state legislator Rep. Leigh Finke told Fox News in April 2023 that the language “never should have been included in the statutory definition in the first place.”
Check Your Fact contacted Governor Walz.
