On Friday’s edition of The View, the show essentially came out in support of exposing kids to sexualized drag shows by decrying Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis for filing a complaint against a venue that exposes children. Co-host and “Republican” Ana Navarro was irritated by the move and whined to queer star Billy Porter that this was happening to the place she had her bridal shower.
Porter, who was on the show to promote his new Amazon Prime movie Anything’s Possible (which is about a trans high school student finding love), had some thoughts about Florida but held back saying “I can't say it on daytime!” “Oh, God. Here we go,” he proclaimed in fear as she started her story.
“There seems to be this renewed anti-LGBTQ campaign of wanting to portray LGBTQ as if they were groomers and all this stuff,” she bemoaned.
Giving a summary of the story, Navarro dismissed the offending incident as just “one child” and scoffed at DeSantis thinking that “inappropriate”:
So, the new one is Governor DeSantis is suing a place called R House where I had my bridal shower and where I love Athena Deon and all the drag queens there. And he is suing them because there was one brunch where there was one child and there’s video of that and he thinks that's inappropriate and he thinks that's worth -- instead of passing property insurance in Florida, he thinks it's worth going after the drag queens!
While Navarro makes it sound as if a child accidentally made their way into the venus, DeSantis's complaint notes they have kids' menus at the venue.
According to Porter, “the reason the pushback that we're getting not only from Florida but all over the world, is because the change has already happened.” “That's what I'm trying to start talking about,” he proclaimed following the oohs and ahs from the casts. “We're not talking about the positive. The positive part of all of this stuff, including that, DeSantis, is the change has already happened,” he reiterated.
And what “change” would that be? Porter didn’t elaborate, but he could be insinuating that the public is fine with exposing kids to such inappropriate and sexual content.
“Y'all are still trying to label us pedophiles because we put on dresses. Stop that! There's, like, a direct line with these people. I don't even like children,” he proclaimed to the laughter and applause from the masked studio audience.
And as they were going to break, co-host Joy Behar praised him by suggesting he “said something very important”:
PORTER: See, Joy? See? Laughter? See what that does?
BEHAR: But you're wonderful and you're so smart and talented and we love having you here.
PORTER: Thank you!
BEHAR: And I think you said something very important there. That's why they're threatened by it because it's happening.
“Right! The change has already happened, y'all! Let's reframe the conversation,” Porter concluded.
This support for exposing kids to drag shows was made possible because lucrative sponsorships from Olay and Carvana. Their contact information is linked.
The transcript is below, click "expand" to read:
ABC’s The View
July 29, 2022
11:31:42 a.m. Eastern(…)
ANA NAVARRO: Let's talk about going on in my home state of Florida.
BILLY PORTER: Your home state of Florida is -- I can't say it on daytime!
[Applause]
NAVARRO: So, let me tell you the new one --
PORTER: Oh, God. Here we go.
NAVARRO: There seems to be this renewed anti-LGBTQ campaign of wanting to portray LGBTQ as if they were groomers and all this stuff.
So, the new one is Governor DeSantis is suing a place called R House where I had my bridal shower and where I love Athena Deon and all the drag queens there. And he is suing them because there was one brunch where there was one child and there’s video of that and he thinks that's inappropriate and he thinks that's worth -- instead of passing property insurance in Florida, he thinks it's worth going after the drag queens!
So, tell me. What are your thoughts?
PORTER: You know, my thought is the reason the pushback that we're getting not only from Florida, but all over the world, is because the change has already happened.
SUNNY HOSTIN: Ooooh
JOY BEHAR: Probably.
PORTER: That's what I'm trying to start talking about.
BEHAR: Yeah.
PORTER: Because in our news cycles, we lean into the negative all the time. If it bleeds, it leads.
SARA HAINES: Yep.
PORTER: We're not talking about the positive. The positive part of all of this stuff, including that, DeSantis, is the change has already happened.
HOSTIN: Yeah.
PORTER: Y'all are still trying to -- y'all are still trying to label us pedophiles because we put on dresses. Stop that! There's, like, a direct line with these people. I don't even like children.
[Laughter and applause]
I'm kidding. I'm teasing. I'm teasing. I love children.
BEHAR: We got to go. So, look, it's always so fun to have you here. No, really.
PORTER: See, Joy? See? Laughter? See what that does?
BEHAR: But you're wonderful and you're so smart and talented and we love having you here.
PORTER: Thank you!
BEHAR: And I think you said something very important there. That's why they're threatened by it because it's happening.
PORTER: Right! The change has already happened, y'all! Let's reframe the conversation!
BEHAR: Okay.
PORTER: Let's reframe the conversation!
BEHAR: Our thanks to Billy Porter. His film Anything’s Possible is streaming now on Amazon Prime. We'll be right back.
