CNN's Exposé on Family Forced to 'Flee' Florida Epically Backfires, Becomes 'Perfect Ad' for State
CNN got ratioed on Twitter after posting a disingenuous sob story about a liberal family claiming they were forced to “flee” Florida because Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis banned sex-change procedures for children.
“I never thought that I would have to flee a state for the good of my children,” Tiffiney and Kelly McKee told CNN on Wednesday.
“We’re absolutely moving because of the political climate and the laws in Florida,” she said. “We didn’t want to move.”
The McKees have two sons, one of whom is confused about his gender and claims to be a girl.
Tori McKee said he started taking hormone blockers shortly after age 12 when he learned about transgenderism.
“I was very relieved when we decided to leave,” he told CNN. “I had never really heard that much about trans people until I was, like, 11 or 12. I didn’t even know trans people existed. I started hormone blockers pretty soon after that.”
Tori’s father said his son was nearly suicidal before undergoing hormone treatments but is now more outgoing.
Laura Campbell of the creepily named Free Mom Hugs Florida said in the clip, “I really think if you were to ask a member of a trans family, they would tell you they go to bed at night dreaming of how to get out of this state.”
“I never thought that I would have to flee a state.”
This family of four living in suburban Florida shares why they are packing up to leave. pic.twitter.com/JSnrzNjeCp
— CNN (@CNN) July 26, 2023
In May, DeSantis signed legislation that bans sex-change procedures on children.
Under Florida’s Senate Bill 254, minors cannot undergo gender transition measures such as hormone therapy, puberty blockers or genital mutilation.
“With my signature, Florida permanently prohibits genital mutilating surgical procedures and experimental puberty blockers for minors,” the governor and now Republican presidential candidate tweeted when he signed the bill into law.
With my signature, Florida permanently prohibits genital mutilating surgical procedures and experimental puberty blockers for minors.
Minors given these procedures without their consent will now be able to recover damages for permanent injury or death caused by these medical… pic.twitter.com/yedpRgowPP
— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) May 17, 2023
Predictably, liberals who fetishize transgenderism torched DeSantis for trying to protect the fragile mental and physical health of children.
Meanwhile, CNN’s contrived “exposé” demonizing the governor and Florida got roasted on Twitter.
As of Friday morning, the tweet had more than 16,000 responses — most of which mocked the liberal network and the McKees — compared with only about 2,300 retweets and 3,400 “likes.”
Some users said the story is an excellent marketing campaign for the Sunshine State.
“This clip validates why many parents moved to Florida,” businessman and author Patrick Bet-David tweeted. “Normal parents who don’t want to their child to be prescribed puberty blockers.
“This is a perfect ad for Ron DeSantis.”
California would be the perfect state for this family.
This clip validates why many parents moved to Florida.
Normal parents who don’t want to their child to be prescribed puberty blockers.
This is a perfect ad for @RonDeSantis.
— Patrick Bet-David (@patrickbetdavid) July 27, 2023
Others were disgusted that parents would support dangerous gender procedures on their children.
Imagine mutilating your child’s body then using them as a political tool
— Brendon Leslie (@BrendonLeslie) July 27, 2023
I’m guessing there aren’t a lot of people in Florida who are like, “No, no, please stay and abuse your kid here instead of somewhere else!”
— John Hawkins (@johnhawkinsrwn) July 27, 2023
I love to see them seethe. They should leave America.
— Joey Mannarino (@JoeyMannarinoUS) July 27, 2023
Some commenters speculated the family might move to the left-wing cesspool of California, which countless people have fled because of its prohibitive cost of living and rampant crime.
Hahaaaa, good, they should go to California.
— Daniel (@lktappshb) July 27, 2023
California meanwhile https://t.co/vL14NEyN3S
— justakidfromlbc (@justakidfromlbc) July 27, 2023
Florida is on one end of this chart & California the other.
Why are you running a story about fleeing the state with the most migration in, and not the one with most migration out? pic.twitter.com/Za55aZuXIZ— Joshua Hartley (@JHartley2) July 27, 2023
It is mind-boggling for any reasonable person — let alone an entire political party — to shriek that impressionable children should be allowed to undergo bodily mutilation or take “gender-altering” drugs on a whim.
There are minimum age requirements for most medical or cosmetic procedures, including getting your ears pierced or undergoing plastic surgery. Even hardcore leftists don’t claim these restrictions are tyrannical.
So why do they insist that not allowing children to take hormone-altering drugs or undergo surgical procedures that leave them mutilated for life is oppressive?
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