Rep. Carlos G. Smith Won’t Say Little Girl With Near-Nude Drag Queen is Inappropriate: ‘My Opinion is Irrelevant’
ORANGE COUNTY (FLV) – When asked about a young girl seen at a drag show with a near-nude drag queen, Democrat State Rep. Carlos Guillermo Smith said his opinion is “irrelevant.”
Smith, who is up for re-election in 2022, has been a member of the Florida House since 2016, making history as Florida’s first openly-LGBTQ Latino lawmaker. Smith is running to represent House District 37, which encompasses parts of Orange and Seminole counties.
Florida’s Voice Founder and Editor-in-Chief Brendon Leslie previously asked Smith if he believes the image of the girl attending the revealing drag show is “appropriate,” to which Smith responded, “my opinion is irrelevant.”
In a separate Twitter thread, one user quote tweeted Smith, saying he bullies parents who do not want teachers to talk about their sexuality with their kids.
Smith replied, “Cry harder.”
In a recent tweet, Smith says he will “continue focusing on the real issues facing our schools while standing up for all teachers + students.”
While Smith claims to prioritize what is “best for our kids,” recent polls show parents do not agree with his stance on classroom instruction discussing sexual orientation and gender identity.
The Democrat was a fierce opponent of HB 1557, the anti-grooming Parental Rights in Education Act. Although Smith called it the ‘Don’t Say Gay Bill,’ it does not mention the word ‘gay,’ contrary to false claims spread by some the now-law’s critics.
As previously reported, polling shows that a majority of registered voters support Florida’s law that bans teachers from discussing sexual orientation or gender identity with students before the fourth grade.
The poll released in May found that a majority of registered voters support major provisions of the Florida law. Results showed 55% of registered voters would support laws like this in their states while 41% would oppose it.
Another poll from Public Opinion Strategies found that 61% of U.S. registered voters support the language of Florida’s new Parental Rights in Education Act.
In the survey, Americans say the discussion of gender identity is inappropriate for children in kindergarten through 3rd grade by a 67%‐21% margin.
Florida State Rep. Joe Harding, R-Williston, sponsored the Parental Rights in Education Law.
“Even with all of the misinformation that’s been put out by the Democrat party and their cohorts and the media and all of the misinformation that they’ve spent millions of dollars on adds, to see a poll that the overwhelming majority of Americans agree with us, it should be a wake up call for our elected officials,” Harding said.
Florida’s Voice reached out to Smith for comment by email and social media and has not received a response.
Smith’s Republican opponent, Susan Plasencia, had strong words for Smith’s indifference to near-nude drag shows for children. She told Florida’s Voice that the education environment should avoid “indoctrinating” students.
Our schools should have one priority, educating our children in a safe environment, not indoctrinating. As a mom of three grown children, I have navigated the system and it can be a challenge. That’s why I support Florida’s parental rights bill. It protects the rights of parents and ensures transparency in our schools. Sadly, Carlos Smith cares more about woke ideology than about the rights of parents.
Susan Plasencia, Candidate for State Rep. in District 37
The election will be held on Nov. 6.
Florida’s Voice reached out to Smith multiple times and will add future comments to this report.
