EXCLUSIVE — Rep. Julia Letlow (R-LA) called on the Federal Communications Commission on Wednesday to implement new TV ratings flagging sexually sensitive content for children.
Letlow, who notably dealt a decisive blow to Sen. Bill Cassidy’s (R-LA) ambitions for reelection over the weekend, backed FCC Chairman Brendan Carr’s tentative proposal to reform television ratings, which could mandate disclosure of transgender themes or other gender identity topics in programming for children. As the mother of two young children and an active voice on parents’ rights issues in Congress, she sent a letter to Carr, warning she believes ideological content is being “quietly inserted” into children’s programming “without transparency.”
“Parents, not television executives or Hollywood producers, should have the final say of deciding when and how their children are introduced to sensitive topics related to gender identity and sexuality,” Letlow wrote in the letter shared exclusively with the Washington Examiner. “I write in support of the Federal Communication Commission’s ongoing effort to modernize the television rating system to ensure parents have more clear, accurate, and transparent information about the content their children are consuming.”
Letlow was one of two GOP candidates who trounced Cassidy in the Republican Senate primary Saturday, leaving the incumbent lawmaker out of the runoff election now planned for his seat, which he has held since 2015.
Her letter to Carr comes just days before a deadline the FCC set for the public to comment on whether the TV ratings system should be updated. Carr has said the move responds to concerns that television programs marked child-friendly contain sensitive or controversial content. The FCC chairman announced in April that the public could weigh in on the debate and send in input by Friday.
GOP CONCERN GROWS AS FCC COMMISSIONER BRENDAN CARR MAY HAVE RESHAPED TEXAS SENATE RACE
“Recently, parents have raised concerns that controversial gender identity issues are being included or promoted in children’s programs without providing any disclosure or transparency to parents,” the FCC notice reads.
“Specifically, the industry guidelines that parents rely on are rating shows with transgender and gender non-binary programming as appropriate for children and young children, and doing so without providing this information to parents, thereby undermining the ability of parents to make informed choices for their families,” the notice continues.
