Exclusive — Tennessee State Sen. Jack Johnson: States Should Be Able to Protect Children

States should be able to protect children as they see fit, and when you are a believer leading with boldness, the armor of God will protect you, Tennessee State Sen. Jack Johnson (R) said during an appearance on Breitbart News Daily, discussing the Supreme Court case regarding a Tennessee law banning puberty blockers for minors.

“I can tell you that in the Tennessee General Assembly, State House, State Senate, we have conservative, Republican super majorities, and we’re not afraid to use them, and that’s what we did in this particular instance,” he said, as their measure blocking hormone therapy and puberty blockers for minors seeking to transition to the opposite sex is being challenged, making it all the way up to the Supreme Court.

“And yes, it was hot, yes, there were death threats and protests and being called every name, but when you fundamentally believe what you’re doing is right, then you wear the armor of God. I’m a believer,” Johnson said, “and I know that thousands of people are praying for this issue and praying for members of the General Assembly that are taking this on.”

“And I think that that equips you. It clothes you with the armor of God. And you move forward and you do what’s right, and the rest of it will take care of itself,” he continued, also emphasizing the importance of federalism.

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“It’s imperative that states lead. … But I think you agree with me. You believe in federalism, the federal government should be very limited in size and scope, and everything else should be left up to the state. And this is a great example of a state like Tennessee, and by the way, there have been others, too. We’re not the only one. We just happen to be the first state to pass a bill that’s been successfully defended in a court of law. And a big thanks and a big hat tip to our amazing Attorney General,” he said, explaining that it fundamentally “comes down to states recognizing an issue and as reflected by the will of their people.”

“The people of Tennessee were mortified that this was taking place,” he said of the transgender procedures on children, which included surgeries.

“The overwhelming majority, Democrats, Republicans, liberals, conservatives. There are some people who think you should be able to do this to a kid, but they’re very small in number in the state of Tennessee,” Johnson said, explaining that this prompted them to take action.

“I do think it was a bold decision for us to step forward and say we’re going to stop this, and we’re going to do it in a way that some liberal activist judge is not able to overturn,” he added.

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