FCC Chairman Brendan Carr said he is “deeply concerned” that more than 60 House Democrats are opposing what he described as parents’ right to know when children’s television shows include gender-identity themes.
In a Sept. 22 letter responding to lawmakers led by Rep. Mark Takano, D-Calif., Carr wrote that the Democrats’ stance would leave families “in the dark” about programming rated as suitable for young children. He called the position “extreme” and said it comes amid what he characterized as a surge of children’s shows that include transgender or nonbinary themes without disclosure.
“I am deeply concerned by the position that you and over 60 of your Democrat colleagues in the House of Representatives are taking regarding the right of parents to know whether their sons or daughters are being exposed to controversial gender identity ideologies including the promotion of transgender and gender non-binary programming, in television shows that are rated as appropriate for young children,” Carr wrote.
In June, 68 House Democrats sent Carr a letter arguing the FCC lacks authority to dictate ratings, calling the inquiry an attempt to pressure broadcasters to “censor” transgender characters and topics. They said singling out gender identity would raise First Amendment problems and that the existing system, created after the 1996 Telecommunications Act, already works.
Carr rejected that framing. He said no one is proposing to ban the content, only to give parents information comparable to existing descriptors for violence, sex, and language. In his letter he cited examples including a Disney Jr. “Muppet Babies” episode, a trans character in Netflix’s “Strawberry Shortcake: Berry in the Big City,” and nonbinary characters in Disney Channel’s “Primos.”
The ratings system is industry-run, overseen by the TV Parental Guidelines Monitoring Board. Congress designed it so parents could block programming they consider inappropriate; the FCC’s formal power to impose ratings is limited if the industry maintains a voluntary system.
Democrats and LGBTQ advocacy groups argue extra labels would stigmatize representation. Carr and supporting Republicans argue withholding the information undermines the purpose of parental guidelines. Carr said the FCC will continue the proceeding despite the opposition. The agency has not adopted new rules.