Kentucky gubernatorial candidate Kelly Craft speaks with supporters during a campaign stop in Liberty, Ky., Wednesday, May 3, 2023. – A prominent GOP candidate roiled the hotly contested primary race for Kentucky governor with a comment that if elected, “we will not have transgenders in our school system," angering LGBTQ advocates in a state that has enacted laws limiting the rights of transgender youth.
Craft’s comments were swiftly denounced as “desperate and disgusting” by Chris Hartman, executive director of the Fairness Campaign, a Kentucky-based LGBTQ advocacy group. “None of the other candidates are railing this hard against LGBTQ youth because it won’t work, except to harm trans kids,” he added.
One question asked Craft how she’d “combat the transgender agenda” in classrooms. Craft noted that Wise sponsored the measure dealing with, among other things, school bathroom policies, curriculum and which pronouns are used to refer to transgender students. Throughout the campaign, Craft has railed against what she claims are “woke” ideologies infiltrating Kentucky public schools, pledging to lead efforts to overhaul the state education department if elected. With her remarks about transgender children, Craft upped the ante in her culture-war messaging.