Her remarks drew high criticism on social media.
U.S. Rep. Katie Porter (D-Irvine) described pedophilia as an “identity” during a Dec. 14 congressional meeting.
The House Oversight and Reform Committee held a hearing on anti-LBGTQ violence in the wake of the Club Q mass shooting in Colorado Springs on Nov. 19, 2022, where Porter was questioning Kelly Robinson, President of the Human Rights Campaign, on “hateful” tweets.
Porter stated, “This allegation of groomer and pedophile, it is alleging that a person is criminal somehow and engaged in criminal acts merely because of their identity, their sexual orientation, their gender identity.”
Porter’s reply to Robinson’s angst for twitter users naming individuals as groomers and pedophiles who are members of the LBGTQ community a highly critical response from twitter users.
“I don’t think any parent who has had an adult sexually abuse their child would agree with her,” one user wrote. “Pedophilia is not an identity. It is an extreme perversion that puts children in danger. This woman needs to be shown the door,” said another.
Fox News Radio Host Jilly Failla decried the statement by Porter, calling her argument “intellectually lazy.”
“She’s a dope, OK? Understand certain words carry a stigma because that’s part of the deterrent, is you don’t want to walk around with that,” Failla said. “In her worldview, an arsonist is actually a fire enthusiast…That’s what drives me crazy, is we’re demonstrating more empathy. You’re talking about pedophiles, OK? They’re destroying the lives of children. You know, how dare anyone go to bat for the pedophile over the victim, which is exactly what’s happening here. And it’s disgusting.”
