Meghan McCain Opens up About TLC’s ’19 Kids’: ‘Pull Their Show’
NASHVILLE, June 16 (UPI) — Meghan McCain, daughter of Arizona Sen. John McCain, hopes to change attitudes toward the Republican party, spreading the word about acceptance and tolerance.
McCain, 30, recently told ET she is inspired by the support she’s gotten from the GOP and some of its progressive members as she remains deeply supportive of gay rights. She serves on the board of GLAAD, a lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender advocacy group, and recently co-hosted the organization’s Concert for Love and Acceptance alongside country singer Ty Herndon. She spoke out against intolerance, hate in politics and the media.
“I’m always pleasantly surprised when I don’t feel so alone, like I’m not the only Republican who’s an LGBT-ally and advocate,” she told ET. “What’s so exciting about this election cycle is we’re living in a time when that kind of intolerance is no longer accepted and it’s no longer going to be tolerated in the media. That didn’t even happen you know four years ago and definitely not eight years ago. I’m really happy with the way things are progressing in this country.”
An outspoken activist, McCain isn’t afraid to voice her opinions, especially when it comes to LGBT issues. Most recently, she lauded Vanity Fair’s debut of Caitlyn Jennerand slammed the use of the 19 Kids and Counting scandal as a political device.
“I don’t understand why this has turned into a Republican-Democrat issue,” she said. “I think TLC should definitely pull their show.”
She’s also not afraid to throw some jeers at members of her own party, especially those who make unnecessarily critical statements, she said. Recently, she threw one of those barbs at former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, a staunch Republican seeking the 2016 GOP nomination, for making what she considered insulting comments abut transgender men and women. In February, Huckabee called transgenderism a “social experiment” and said: “Now I wish that someone told me that when I was in high school that I could have felt like a woman when it came time to take showers in P.E.”
“He made a really anti-trans comment and I just thought it was really close-minded,” she said. “I’m a Republican and it’s probably the first thing people think when they hear my name. And it’s hard to have other Republicans stereotyping all Republicans as somehow anti-LGBT. And his comments are just so dated and so archaic and it’s not the party I’m in or the party I represent so I got a little feisty on Twitter.”
