Rep. Tom Suozzi wants to make clear: He doesn’t support Florida’s controversial new law restricting discussion of sexual identity in schools — despite saying some aspects of it were “reasonable” and made “common sense” just last week.
Suozzi is a Long Island Democrat challenging Gov. Kathy Hochul from the right in this year’s primary. He’s leveled attacks against her on crime, the budget and what he calls a lack of experience. On Tuesday he held a virtual press conference to criticize the governor for the shoddy vetting process that led to her appointment of since-arrested, now-former Lt. Gov. Brian Benjamin.
But during the question-and-answer period, Suozzi was asked about his recent comments on 77 WABC’s Bernie & Sid in the Morning, in which he called Florida’s Parental Rights in Education bill a “very reasonable law not to try to get kids in kindergarten to be talking about sex.”
Suozzi said his prior comments were “very inartful in the way I spoke.” He said he opposes both the law – which all but bans discussion of gender identity and sexual orientation in grades K-3 – as well as Florida’s Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, one of its biggest boosters.
“I want to clear up any misunderstandings: I oppose Gov. DeSantis,” Suozzi said. “I oppose the, Don’t Say Gay bill, full stop. I oppose them. I fully support LGBT families.”
Critics of the Florida law, including many Democrats, claim the recently signed measure will hurt children who are struggling with their LGBT identity. Supporters say it will leave it up to parents to decide when to broach the topic of sexual identity with young children.
Suozzi’s initial comments on thel Florida law came on Thursday, when host Sid Rosenberg asked him about the law, calling it by its formal name rather than the “Don’t Say Gay” moniker pushed by opponents.
Rosenberg said the law “prohibits teachers from talking sex, genitals, stuff like that, with kids in kindergarten through third grade.”
“Do you support that Parental Rights Act or are you of the Democratic persuasion?” Rosenberg said.
Suozzi responded: “I think it’s a very reasonable law, not to try and get kids in kindergarten talking about sex. I mean, that’s very reasonable, and so I totally understand that. I wish it wouldn’t become such a hot-button issue [where] people are just attacking each other – it's just common sense. I don’t want some teacher talking to my kid, in kindergarten or first grade, about their sex parts. I mean, it doesn’t make sense.”
Suozzi went on to say he was “very much in favor of equal rights” and “treating gay people fairly, and treating them like they’re human beings.”
On Tuesday, Suozzi said he was responding to the concept raised by Rosenberg that kindergarteners would be taught about “sex and genitals.”
“I was very inartful in the way that I spoke,” Suozzi said. “I should have recognized, I should have said very firmly that what that law did was inappropriate.”
He continued: “I think that most people think that we shouldn’t talk to kids about sex in kindergarten and first grade. I think that common sense says that. And existing law says that in most states, that you're not talking about sex education until fifth grade. But the law does much more than that, and I should have talked about the overall law instead of talking about sex and genitalia.”
Suozzi is one of three major Democrats seeking the nomination for governor, along with Hochul and New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams.
The primary election is set for June 28.
