GOP candidate criticized for saying the “+” in “LGBTQ+” means pedophilia

North Carolina School Superintendent Candidate Michele Morrow Photo: Screenshot

The Republican candidate for North Carolina superintendent of public instruction falsely claimed this week that the “+” in LGBTQ+ stands for support of pedophilia.

On Monday, Michele Morrow took to social media to fire back at her Democratic opponent, Mo Green, for accepting the endorsement of the LGBTQ+ advocacy group Equality North Carolina.

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“Mo Green has stated that the Parental Bill of Rights ‘does more harm than good’ and says he is ‘proudly endorsed’ by Equality NC, whose mission is to advance LGBTQ+ power,” Morrow wrote in a Sept. 16 post.

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“NEWSFLASH…” she added, “the ‘+’ contains PEDOPH*L*A!! Mo Green will NOT keep our children safe!”

Of course, Morrow’s claim is flatly false. As Jazmynne Cruz, a spokesperson for Equality North Carolina, told WRAL, the “+” in the widely used acronym signifies the inclusion of people whose sexual orientation or gender identity doesn’t fit neatly into categories like lesbian, gay, bisexual, or queer/questioning — those who are asexual, nonbinary, intersex, etc.

Cruz said Equality North Carolina aims “to ensure that every North Carolinian sees themselves reflected in this movement for equality, working together to create a safer, fairer world for all marginalized individuals.”

The organization, Cruz said, does not support pedophilia.

Aside from the truly Kafkaesque fact that a mainstream news organization felt it had to source something like this, WRAL also referred to a fact-checking site Political factwho in May 2023 debunked the false claim, circulating online and in far-right media, that LGBTQ+ advocacy groups include pedophilia advocacy in their work. Political fact In a separate post debunking the false right-wing anti-LGBTQ+ “grooming” narrative, the Zero Abuse Project, an organization dedicated to preventing child abuse and exploitation, noted that credible research shows that child sexual abuse is related to power, not sexual orientation, and that most child abusers identify as heterosexual.

In a statement to WRAL, Green’s campaign said Morrow’s position proves she is “unfit to lead public schools.”

“Every child deserves to learn, and every staff member deserves to work, in an environment that is safe, welcoming and inclusive,” Green said. “Politicians like Morrow use schools as battlegrounds for their culture wars, and that is simply unacceptable.”

Cruz told WRAL that the Equality North Carolina political action committee “supports Mo Green for many reasons, including his public commitment to ensuring that all students are safe in school and have access to an education that prepares them to be driving forces in their futures.”

According to a recent WRAL poll, Green, a former Guilford County Schools superintendent and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools administrator, and Morrow, a former nurse who now advocates for homeschooling and whose children never attended public school in North Carolina, are nearly tied in their race for state superintendent.

Since winning the Republican primary in March, Morrow has come under scrutiny for her past social media posts spreading the QAnon conspiracy theory and calling for the execution of former President Barack Obama and then-Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden. Morrow has claimed that those posts were taken out of context and that her past comments were made “in jest.”

During her 2022 bid for a seat on the Wake County Board of Education, Morrow described public schools as “socialist indoctrination centers” and “indoctrination centers.” Last March, Morrow’s campaign spokesperson Sloan Rachmuth posted a photo of a Progress Pride flag that she claimed was hanging in a Charlotte elementary school. “Yet another example of the socialist indoctrination camps @MicheleMorrowNC is talking about,” Rachmuth wrote.

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