Caitlyn Jenner, the former Olympian and California gubernatorial candidate, said she didn’t join Fox News to be a “trans activist” as she made her debut as a contributor on Thursday night.
During her first appearance on the conservative news network, Ms Jenner was joined by Sean Hannity to discuss Florida’s recently signed into law “Don’t Say Gay” bill.
“Let’s educate our kids with the basics first,” Mr Hannity said, after laying into the “ridiculous” heat the bill is attracting as, he argued, it doesn’t even mention “gay”.
The legislation, which has already attracted its first lawsuit by a group of LGBT advocates, prohibits “classroom discussion about sexual orientation or gender identity” in kindergarten through third grade, and adds that children in other grades should not discuss these matters “that is not age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students”.
Mr Hannity provided a lengthy preamble in the segment discussing Florida’s Parental Rights in Education bill, and even suggested to his viewers that guardians have the option to educate their kids on LGBT issues through “woke classes after school” should they feel so inclined.
“So,” Mr Hannity posed to Ms Jenner, before warning that she had “40 seconds”. “Good idea, bad idea?”
Seeming at first a bit flustered, the former reality star found her ground by starting at the basics: “I’m a common sense person. And that is what you call common sense,” Ms Jenner said, adding: “I am all for parental rights”.
At the outset of Ms Jenner’s introduction to Mr Hannity’s programme, the former governor candidate for California explained why she’d chosen to join Fox at this particular moment, by first highlighting the unique perspective she offers.
“I had a lot of talks actually with you Sean and other people at Fox when we were negotiating this deal,” she began, adding, “as you might know I am trans … but I’m not a trans activist”.
“That’s just one part of my life there’s so much more to me,” she said, noting how, with the midterms fast approaching, she’s keen to be able to tackle the LGBT issues that are “gonna be very big issues”.
“I’m looking forward to covering those,” Ms Jenner added.
The gold medal winning Jenner has kicked up controversy recently, particularly within the LGBT community when she said she didn’t believe trans girls should be permitted to participate in girls sports.
The appointment of the 72-year-old reality star as a contributor for the network, whose pundits have been cheering nightly for Florida Gov Ron DeSantis’s controversial bill, garnered reactions online that led to comparisons between her and conservative critic and Trump loyalist Candace Owens, a frequent commentator on Fox programs like Tucker Carlson Tonight.
