According to the deeply flawed logic Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) uses, any person who doesn’t have children isn’t qualified to be a teacher because he or she doesn’t know anything about “raising and teaching kids.”
During an appearance on Fox News, Cotton was asked about Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, appearing onstage with Virginia Democratic gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe. Host Bill Hemmer inquired:
“What’s that tell you?”
Cotton replied:
“Randi Weingarten is a joke. Randi Weingarten does not even have children of her own. What the hell does she know about raising and teaching kids?”
Wow! That’s a lot of ignorance for a man who graduated from Harvard Law School. And it’s also clearly a dog whistle to those on the right who hate members of the LGBTQ community. Weingarten is a lesbian and has been married to her partner since 2018.
Weingarten responded to Cotton on Twitter, noting that it certainly sounded like he was trying to slur the entire LGBTQ community:
Wait…Did I misread this or did Tom Cotton just say any teacher who is not also a parent shouldn’t be able to teach? Really? Is he now disqualifying every nun from teaching? Or is this simply a new divisive & hateful homophobic slur against LGBTQ teachers? https://t.co/gVkUvqxxNU
— Randi Weingarten (@rweingarten) November 2, 2021
Millions of people who raise and teach and care for America’s children are not parents. Parents everywhere rely on their expertise. Parents everywhere rely on the profound commitment we all must have to other people’s children, their health, well-being, and potential.
— Randi Weingarten (@rweingarten) November 2, 2021
Millions of people who raise and teach and care for America’s children are not parents. Parents everywhere rely on their expertise. Parents everywhere rely on the profound commitment we all must have to other people’s children, their health, well-being, and potential.
— Randi Weingarten (@rweingarten) November 2, 2021
We owe them- teachers who are parents, and teachers who are not parents- our thanks, not insults.
— Randi Weingarten (@rweingarten) November 2, 2021
Parents and educators are partners, and must work together to help our kids thrive… stop the dog whistles Tom and help us help our kids recover
— Randi Weingarten (@rweingarten) November 2, 2021
Tom Cotton is trying to appeal to the far right wing of the GOP because he’s considering a run for the White House in 2024. But his outdated thinking on matters of education, equality, and tolerance are out of touch with the vast majority of Americans.
Featured Image Via NBC News
