Did former President Barack Obama say that pedophiles deserve the "same rights'' as 2SLGBTQI+ people? No, that's not true: The tweet attributed to him that says, "Minor-attracted persons deserve human rights" is fabricated and was never posted by Obama. The article making the claim says his recent open letter about banning books was "specifically referring to sexually explicit books," though he didn't mention specific titles in his message. The article was published on a site that has a history of fabricating claims.
The claim appeared in an article published by The People's Voice on July 19, 2023, titled "Barack Obama Says Pedophiles Deserve 'Same Rights' as 2SLGBTQI+" (archived here). It opened:
As the mainstream media continues celebrating the global elite's war on our children, Barack Obama has nailed his colors to the mast by admitting in a tweet that pornographic books like 'Gender Queer' have played a key role in shaping his life.
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Barack Obama Says Pedophiles Deserve 'Same Rights' as 2SLGBTQI+ - The People's Voice
Barack Obama has nailed his colors to the mast by admitting in a tweet that pornographic books like "Gender Queer" have played a key role in shaping his life.
A search of Twitter for Barack Obama and "Minor-attracted persons deserve human rights" yields zero results:
(Source: Twitter screenshot taken on Thurs Jul 20 18:11:34 2023 UTC)
A Google search shows he didn't write or say that in public.
The article included a claim about what he was "specifically referring to":
If you are wondering which books Obama is crediting with 'shaping his life', and which books he is desperate for your children to read, then wonder no more. Obama was specifically referring to sexually explicit books like 'Gender Queer' which is filled with pornographic images of homosexual acts performed by teenage boys.
According to Obama and the global elite, books such as these should be read by all children.
In reality, Obama wrote an open letter to the "dedicated and hardworking librarians of America" in which he decried censorship and book banning. He never referred to a specific book. Critics have distorted Obama's remarks to mean that he was defending and endorsing any and every book that has been banned in school districts across the country. That cannot be surmised from his statement.
When he wrote, in part, in the letter was:
Today, some of the books that shaped my life - and the lives of so many others - are being challenged by people who disagree with certain ideas or perspectives. It's no coincidence that these 'banned books' are often written by or feature people of color, indigenous people, and members of the LGBTQ+ community - though there have also been unfortunate instances in which books by conservative authors or books, containing 'triggering' words or scenes have been targets for removal. Either way, the impulse seems to be silence, rather than engage, rebut, learn from or seek to understand views that don't fit our own.
The People's Voice
The People's Voice has a lengthy record of publishing false stories in the past. It describes itself as a resource "comprised of various web pages operated by Fact Checked Limited," but it has nothing to do with fact-checking.
As of this writing, its website contained a liability disclaimer, saying:
FACT CHECKED LIMITED AND/OR ITS SUPPLIERS MAKE NO REPRESENTATIONS ABOUT THE SUITABILITY, RELIABILITY, AVAILABILITY, TIMELINESS, AND ACCURACY OF THE INFORMATION, SOFTWARE, PRODUCTS, SERVICES AND RELATED GRAPHICS CONTAINED ON THE SITE FOR ANY PURPOSE. TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, ALL SUCH INFORMATION, SOFTWARE, PRODUCTS, SERVICES AND RELATED GRAPHICS ARE PROVIDED 'AS IS' WITHOUT WARRANTY OR CONDITION OF ANY KIND.
Other Lead Stories fact checks about Obama can be found here.
