Ron Johnson goes on transphobic rant, says trans teens ‘think weird things’ and are going through ‘phases’

During a tele-town hall on Monday, Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson (R) baselessly claimed that Democrats are indoctrinating children in schools via repeatedly debunked hoaxes.

“Yes, I’m well aware of this,” Johnson said to a caller. “I think one of the things that COVID did is parents were looking over their kids’ shoulders and became aware of the indoctrination of our children by radical leftists within our education system.”

NEW: During a tele-town hall, Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) told a caller he was “aware” of litter boxes in schools, that teachers push “transgenderism” on students and schools should “not accommodate the phase” trans kids are going through (all are false). https://t.co/8uphkfCuwN pic.twitter.com/5DAT9rZbkh

— Heartland Signal (@HeartlandSignal) October 26, 2022

Johnson’s comments were in response to a caller asking about a furry litter box hoax that Republicans have been reciting as a talking point recently. A Democratic group provided the audio supposedly recorded by the caller to Heartland Signal on the condition of anonymity.

Johnson also went on to allege that being transgender is a phase for children and blame teachers for pushing sex change operations on them.

“Don’t accommodate the phase [for children]. Let’s work with them through it. Don’t be putting gender-blocking drugs in our children, and certainly don’t [give] sex change operations to minors. I mean, this is sick what’s happening. But yeah, I’m aware of the fact that we’ve got some teachers that are pushing this stuff on kids. I mean, kids are kids. They think weird things, you know? They go through phases. Every parent knows that.”

Johnson then promised to “make things better and do everything in his power to heal and unify.” But the senator has previously taken offense to transgender people existing, saying in a March tele-town hall “it’s creepy” when transgender women use the women’s restroom. In June, he shunned the idea that transgender men and nonbinary people with uteruses can give birth.

Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes (D) is trying to flip Johnson’s Senate seat in November.