Former NFL Punter Chris Kluwe Criticizes Bill Criminalizing Gender-Affirming Care for Minors
Former NFL punter and California state assembly candidate Chris Kluwe has spoken out against the Protect Children's Innocence Act currently under consideration in the House of Representatives. The bill, sponsored by Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., aims to criminalize gender-affirming care for minors, categorizing surgeries or the use of puberty blockers as a class C felony that could result in up to 10 years in prison for doctors providing such treatments.
The legislation passed the House with a vote of 216 to 211, with three Democrats supporting it and four Republicans opposing. In response, Kluwe took to social media platform BlueSky, comparing the bill to actions taken by Nazis. He further elaborated in a Fox News Digital interview, describing the criminalization of the transgender community as a step reminiscent of the Nazi playbook, though historical records do not show Nazis imprisoning doctors for performing sex-change procedures on minors; instead, figures like Magnus Hirschfeld, who treated adults, were exiled.
Additionally, a separate federal bill introduced by Representative Dan Crenshaw, R-Texas, would prohibit federal Medicaid funding for gender transition procedures for minors, with a House vote expected in the near future.
Kluwe's public remarks come amid ongoing controversies surrounding him in 2025, including previous statements accusing the MAGA movement of being Nazi-affiliated and facing disciplinary actions related to those comments.
