Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear’s (D) campaign fundraising team fundraised off of YouTube’s decision to censor a Republican Governor’s Association (RGA) ad attacking Beshear’s record of allowing “chemical castration of kids.”
The RGA put up an ad on YouTube discussing Beshear’s support for allowing children to undergo permanent “gender reassignment surgery for anyone under 18” and Beshear’s veto of a bill that would ban doctors from performing sex-change surgery.
“Child sex changes with permanent consequences, that’s Andy Beshear’s Kentucky,” the ad concludes:
.@AndyBeshearKY’s radical agenda is wildly out of touch with Kentucky values.
He supports allowing young children to undergo permanent gender-changing surgery, and even supports allowing chemical castration on kids. pic.twitter.com/gemHhAmOI6— The RGA (@GOPGovs) July 28, 2023
Despite the ad’s citing of mainstream news outlets regarding Beshear’s support for sex change surgery for children, YouTube censored the ad.
Beshear said in March 2023 that the Republican bill aimed at banning transgender youth from having “gender-affirming health care” allows “too much government interference in personal healthcare issues.”
Sam, 9, reads a book in the library at Bay Area Rainbow Day Camp in El Cerrito, Calif. The camp caters to transgender and “gender fluid” children, aged 4-12, making it one of the only camps of its kind in the world open to preschoolers, experts say (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu).
Attorney General Daniel Cameron (R), who is running against Beshear, said in a statement:
Even many liberal European countries are putting the brakes on these surgeries and other gender therapies for minors. Meanwhile in America, Democrats call it extreme to oppose chemical castration and gender mutilation of minors. That is not care – it’s irreversible and is the exact opposite of how we should support children experiencing gender dysphoria or mental health struggles.
My administration will protect our youth from dangerous ideologies and defend Kentucky’s values.
YouTube’s decision to pull the RGA ad allowed Beshear to claim that the ad was full of “heinous lies” and that the ad violated “hate speech rules”:
Team Beshear is already fundraising on this.
Text to supporters: “National Republicans are telling such heinous lies about Andy and their latest attack ad was pulled off of Youtube for violating hate speech rules.” https://t.co/39MZWIwCqh pic.twitter.com/yGo1n5RplO
— Austin Horn (@_AustinHorn) July 30, 2023
Now, the ad is back up on YouTube:
Courtney Alexander, the RSG national press secretary, said in a statement to Breitbart News:
Considering Beshear tried to spin the truth, going so far as to fundraise off of Youtube’s temporary review, Beshear should have to respond about Youtube’s decision to put the video back up, and explain why he wants it to be legal for young children to undergo permanent gender-changing surgery.
“In the meantime, we’ll continue to ensure Kentuckians know just how wildly out of touch Andy Beshear is with Kentucky values,” Alexander added.
Sean Moran is a policy reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on Twitter @SeanMoran3.