Minnesota Lt. Gov. ripped for saying parents must ‘believe’ when kids ‘tell us who they are’

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Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan is facing backlash on social media after a clip surfaced of her advocating for transgender rights, saying parents must "believe" their children when they "tell us who they are."

"Because let’s be clear, this is life-affirming and life-saving health care," Flanagan, a Democrat, said during a press conference last week.

"When our children tell us who they are, it is our job as grown-ups to listen and to believe them," she added. "That's what it means to be a good parent."

Flanagan made the comments after Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz signed an executive order making Minnesota a "trans refuge state" for transgender people, including minors, seeking transition-related health care, as a growing number of state have moved to restrict it.

Lt. Governor of Minnesota Peggy Flanagan speaks during IllumiNative Presents Inaugural Indigenous House At Sundance Film Festival 2023 - Day One on January 21, 2023 in Park City, Utah. (Photo by Anna Webber/Getty Images for IllumiNative)

Gov. Tim Walz and Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan held a press conference to announce a statewide mask mandate to help slow the spread of COVID-19 Wednesday, July 22, 2020 at the Department of Revenue building in St. Paul, Minn. (Anthony Souffle/Star Tribune via Getty Images)

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"Today, @GovTimWalz and I took executive action to protect access to gender-affirming health care," she tweeted March 8. "With this Executive Order, we are saying to our LGBTQ+ relatives: We see you, we value you, we love you. Here in Minnesota, you are safe in our communities as your authentic selves."

The clip of Flanagan’s comments was recirculated by Alpha News in Minnesota Wednesday night, and it quickly went viral, gaining the attention of the Republican National Committee.

The lieutenant governor’s office did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for a response to the criticism.

Florida recently became the latest of a handful of states to ban gender-transition surgeries and treatments like puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones for minors.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ political team released a video Tuesday showing the graphic results of transgender surgeries after President Biden blasted the governor’s policies on transgender rights as "cruel" during an appearance on Comedy Central.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis gives a victory speech after defeating Democratic gubernatorial candidate Rep. Charlie Crist during his election night watch party at the Tampa Convention Center on November 8, 2022 in Tampa, Florida. ((Photo by Octavio Jones/Getty Images))

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"It's just terrible what they're doing," Biden said in DeSantis' video as still photos of double mastectomy and skin graft scars flashed on the screen. "It's cruel. And the way we do it is we make sure we pass legislation like we passed on same-sex marriage; you mess with that, you're breaking the law, and you're going to be held accountable."

DeSantis fired back at the president in a tweet Tuesday, saying, "It is not ‘sinful’ to prohibit the mutilation of minors."