Tim Walz Mocks Conservatives For Trying To Ban Books About Gay Penguins

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz scored laughs from advocates of LGBTQ+ rights with a crack about conservative efforts to keep kids from reading about gay penguins.

During a speech at the Human Rights Campaign's national dinner in Washington, D.C., the Democratic vice presidential nominee touted a law he signed to prevent "LGBTQ books" from being banned from public schools.

"Think about it, in this room: This is what these folks are focusing on spending all their time," Walz said Friday night. "Like reading about two male penguins who love each other is — is somehow going to turn your children gay, and that's what you should worry about."

After the laughter died down, the former high school social studies teacher blasted his Republican rival, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, for calling Tuesday's deadly school shooting in Georgia an unfortunate "fact of life."

"Here's what I'll tell you: It's a fact of life, some people are gay," Walz said. "But you know what's not a fact of life? That our children need to be shot dead in schools. That's not a fact of life."

A video clip of his remarks went viral on social media, racking up nearly 2 million views by early Saturday afternoon.

On Thursday, Vance said: "I don't like that this is a fact of life" while discussing the mass shooting in which a teenage boy allegedly killed two students and two teachers at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, about 50 miles east of Atlanta.

"But if you are a psycho and you want to make headlines, you realize that our schools are soft targets. And we have got to bolster security at our schools," Vance told reporters during a campaign stop in Phoenix.

The accused shooter, Apalachee student Colt Gray, 14, has been charged as an adult with four counts of felony murder.

His father, Colin Gray, 54, was also arrested and charged with two counts of second-degree murder and four counts of involuntary manslaughter for allegedly providing his son with an AR 15-style semiautomatic rifle.