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The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) issued a request for public comment on Wednesday, asking parents to weigh in on changes to the current ratings system and whether updates are needed to inform viewers about content related to transgender people — a demand that could result in widespread censorship of LGBTQ voices and representation in media, critics have warned.
The request from the FCC notes that television stations across all platforms — whether over the air or through cable and streaming options — use a “voluntary ratings system” that was developed by the agency in the late 1990s. It also cites concerns allegedly raised by some parents regarding the accuracy of those ratings.
“Recently, parents have raised concerns that controversial gender identity issues are being included or promoted in children’s programs without providing any disclosure or transparency to parents,” the public notice stated.
In a post on social media, FCC chair Brendan Carr — who has been criticized in the past for making passive threats toward stations that don’t cater to his right-wing tastes or that are critical of President Donald Trump — referred to “New York & Hollywood programmers” that he suggested are “promoting controversial issues in kids programming without providing any transparency or disclosures to parents.”
Parents are complaining to the FCC that these shows have undermined “the whole point of the law and the ratings system parents rely on,” Carr insisted.
Within the request for public comments, the FCC asks that parents weigh in on whether they are aware that “programs rated TV-Y, TV-Y7, and TV-G may contain the discussion or promotion of gender identity themes,” and if such programming should “be rated differently or contain relevant descriptions so that parents can make informed decisions” about the shows their kids watch.
Public comment periods are often used to provide agencies like the FCC with clearer ideas of what Americans want, in terms of policy changes. But given Carr’s clear biases and intent to remake the agency into one that insulates conservatives from public criticism (which he’s expressed a desire to do in publications like Project 2025, which he helped author), it’s possible the comment period will be weaponized, highlighting statements from parents who share his views while ignoring those that do not.
Anna Gomez, the FCC’s only Democratic-appointed commissioner, said the current system is not in need of changes, calling out her conservative colleagues for suggesting otherwise through the public comment request.
“The most recent annual report found only 11 pieces of public correspondence relevant to the board’s work, and spot checks turned up just two instances where a rating actually needed to be changed,” Gomez pointed out. “This is a solution in search of a problem, and another example of this Commission prioritizing culture war politics over the real issues that affect consumers every day.”
Other critics said the end goal was censorship of LGBTQ voices and representation in media.
“The FCC is looking to take control of the voluntary TV ratings system to banish transgender and non-binary subject matter, hijack the TV Parental Guidelines Monitoring Board, and go on a censorship spree in the name of ‘protecting children,'” opined author Tyler King.
“Transgender and nonbinary characters in children’s television are already vanishingly rare. … Youth shows could see what little representation remains stripped out entirely, as networks preemptively remove trans and nonbinary characters rather than risk a ratings penalty or government scrutiny,” transgender journalist Erin Reed wrote on her site Erin in the Morning.
“Parents should absolutely have a say in what their kids watch, and parents already know that seeing an LGBTQ person on screen or in real life does no harm,” said GLAAD President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis, reacting to news of the FCC’s comment request. “What does cause harm is government overreach.”
Ellis expressed skepticism over the need for a public comment, noting that 23 percent of Americans under the age of 30 now identify as LGBTQ.
Said Ellis:
Media companies must be allowed to create and broadcast stories that reflect one-quarter of their audience without interference from a government agency with its own anti-transgender political agenda.
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