On May 30, 2023, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz signed into law HF 1655, also known as the “Take Pride Act.” This controversial legislation, introduced by state Representative Leigh Finke, a member of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party and the first transgender legislator in Minnesota House history, has drawn significant attention for its removal of anti-pedophile language from the state’s Human Rights law.
The “Take Pride Act” sought to redefine “sexual orientation” in the Minnesota Human Rights Act, removing the explicit exclusion of pedophilia. The original text of the law stated that “‘Sexual orientation’ does not include a physical or sexual attachment to children by an adult.” However, the new law, signed by Walz, removes this crucial caveat, raising concerns about the potential implications for the protection of minors.
Critics argue that the removal of the anti-pedophile language could lead to the normalization of pedophilia and weaken the state’s ability to protect minors from sexual abuse and exploitation. They contend that the original language was necessary to ensure that pedophilia is not afforded any form of protection or legitimacy under the law where “sexual orientation” is a protected class.
The decision from Gov. Tim Walz–who was tapped this week to be Kamala Harris’s vice presidential running mate–to sign the “Take Pride Act” into law has been met with strong opposition from conservatives, who view this move as a dangerous step towards normalizing pedophilia, something that the Democratic Party has been accused of attempting to do in recent years. Critics argue that the removal of the anti-pedophile language weakens the state’s ability to protect minors from sexual abuse and exploitation and that it opens the door for pedophilia to be recognized as a legally protected sexual orientation.
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