Misleading statement about Walz legislation regarding sexual orientation and pedophilia

The claim that Minnesota Governor Tim Walz signed a bill redefining ‘sexual orientation’ to include pedophiles is false. The bill, known as the Take Pride Act, aimed to update the state’s Human Rights Act to protect against LGBTQ+ discrimination and included a proposal to modernize the state’s definition of sexual orientation. The bill proposed removing a line that referenced pedophilia in the definition of sexual orientation, leading to mischaracterizations that the bill intended to protect pedophiles from discrimination. However, the bill did not pass as a standalone bill and its language was folded into a larger bill that Walz signed into law in May 2023. Despite the change in definition, experts have clarified that sexual orientation has never legally included pedophilia. Minnesota Rep. Leigh Finke, who introduced the bill, has stated that the language was misconstrued and does not change the state’s ability to prosecute crimes against children. This false claim has also been debunked by other fact-checking sources. It is important to note that the legislation aimed to protect LGBTQ+ individuals from discrimination and had no intention of providing protection to pedophiles.

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