The five representatives from conservative states such as Indiana and North Dakota have expressed their objections to LGBT+ content on TV in a letter to the TV Parental Guidelines Monitoring Board. They are deeply shocked by a Disney executive who said he wants "a lot, a lot, a lot of LGBTQIA+ characters" in the company's content. And so they write: “To the detriment of children, gender dysphoria has become sensationalized in the popular media and on television with radical activists and entertainment companies.” They therefore demand a meeting with the board of the TV Parental Guidelines.

That the senators, named Roger, Mike, Mike, Steve and Kevin, make such a big point about LGBTI+ content fits into the current debate in the US. LGBTI+ topics are part of the struggle between conservative and progressive values, the so-called culture war or culture wars. In it, teachers, media companies and politicians are accused of "sexualizing" young children if they want to educate them about LGBTI+ issues.

So do the Republican senators who drafted the letter: “The rationale of hypersexualized entertainment producers who strive to push this content onto a young audience is suspicious at the very least and 'predatory' at worst.” The TV Parental Guidelines Monitoring Board received the letter, but told NBC News it would not make any announcements about it.

The senators also refer in their letter to the current debate in Florida over the "Don't Say Gay" law. There it is forbidden for teachers to teach LGBTI+ subjects to young children. Proponents see this measure as a way to give parents control over what their child learns and what not. In the law this is referred to as a "fundamental right". Critics fear an atmosphere in schools in which LGBT+ students do not dare to reveal their identity or orientation.