![Minnesota Governor Tim Walz](https://cloudfront.mediamatters.org/styles/crop_900x480/s3/static/D8Image/2024/08/08/minnesota_walz.png?itok=ICoFJF0p)
Research/Study
Right-wing media falsely claim that Gov. Tim Walz created a protected class for perpetrators of child sexual assault
Legislators and legal experts have clarified that recent sexual orientation protections do not apply to such cases
Published
Following Vice President Kamala Harris' announcement that she had selected Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate, right-wing media falsely tried to paint Walz as an extremist by narrowing in on his support for LGBTQ constituents. In addition to targeting Walz's policies on gender-affirming care and menstrual equity, right-wing media also recycled old strands of anti-LGBTQ misinformation, falsely accusing Walz of having created a protected class for perpetrators of child sexual assault even though legal experts and state representatives have debunked such claims.