When we first launched this campaign in September, I thought, "Surely, this is a reasonable request."
We weren’t asking CARA (the Classification and Rating Administration) to censor anything. We simply asked for truth in labeling—the same content warning for LGBTQ+ themes in children’s programming that they already apply to mild violence, brand placements, and even name-calling.
Just a heads-up. That’s all.
What followed has turned into a months-long battle—not just to push for this rating, but to even find a human being at CARA willing to answer a phone call.
This fight didn’t start with a petition. It started last summer when I was babysitting my four-year-old grandson.
I turned on what I thought was an age-appropriate show—a simple toddler cartoon. But within minutes, I realized the main characters were two dads raising their daughter to be a boy.
I was stunned.
I had expected a safe, innocent show for a preschooler—not an ideological push into gender confusion.
Here I was, just trying to give my grandson something to watch while I made lunch—and suddenly, I found myself having to explain concepts that no four-year-old should be wrestling with.
And the worst part? If I had stepped away for a few minutes, I wouldn’t have even known what he was being exposed to.
I started talking to friends, family, parents, and grandparents about my experience.
It didn’t take long to realize that I wasn’t alone.
Parents everywhere are frustrated, angry, and tired of LGBTQ content being injected into children’s shows without warning.
That’s when I knew we had to take this fight further.
That’s when we launched this campaign.
Since launching, we’ve fought tooth and nail to get CARA to simply acknowledge our concerns.
But they won’t even pick up the phone.
For months, I called every number available online—for CARA, for the Motion Picture Association (MPA), for any office that might have a clue.
Full voicemail boxes. Outdated listings. Endless dead ends.
Finally, I got a human being on the line at the MPA office in Washington, D.C. They admitted that they didn’t even have a direct CARA number—which tells you everything you need to know about the unaccountable rating system.
Meanwhile, I submitted a direct request through CARA’s website, simply asking for a number where we could reach them.
And then, on February 21st, CARA finally responded. But not with a phone number.
Instead of giving us any real path forward, they flat-out rejected our request, claiming:
"Our ratings and descriptors keep parents informed while also preventing censorship and protecting the First Amendment rights and creative freedoms of filmmakers."
Translation? Transparency is censorship.
Does that make sense to you? Because it sure doesn’t to me.
How is warning parents about brand placements or slapstick humor somehow important, but a heads-up about gender ideology in kids’ programming is a threat to free speech?
I’ll tell you why.
Because they don’t want parents to opt out.
This was never about censorship—it’s about hiding what they’re doing.
Hollywood and the media elites don’t want you to know what’s in their content until after your child has already watched it. Because then, it’s too late.
CARA has chosen to protect the adults in the industry instead of allowing parents to protect children.
After months of digging, I finally got what I believe is a legitimate number for CARA’s office.
But when I called, I only reached a voicemail.
I left two messages. No answer yet.
If I reach someone at CARA, you will be the first to know. And yes, I will give you the number so you can call them, too.
So far, CARA refuses to listen, so we will push Congress to step in.
We have already contacted Congressmen who agree with us and begun the initial steps for legislative pressure—just as Congress stepped in back in 1996 when media moguls needed a little "help" to do the right thing in children’s ratings.
If CARA and the MPA refuse to listen, we will take this fight to Congress. Parents deserve transparency—it’s a matter of parental rights and decency in the media we invest in and allow into our homes, our children’s hearts, and their minds.
If they won’t warn us about LGBTQ+ content in children’s programming, we’ll demand that lawmakers step in and do it for them.
But this fight isn’t just happening in the U.S.—it’s global.
A rare and important opportunity came a couple of weeks ago when I was approached by the International Consultant & Diplomat at the United Nations Human Rights Council to speak on this on this issue. It is an honor to represent CitizenGO members at the UN, standing up for parents worldwide who are demanding transparency in children’s media and the right to make informed decisions for their children.
Very few organizations are given this platform, but because of our movement, our voices, and our relentless fight for parental rights, I will be presenting our case during the Meeting on the Rights of the Child later this month in Geneva.
This is bigger than media ratings—this is about defending the natural right of parents to protect their children from ideological indoctrination and ensuring that media giants don’t get to silence our concerns.
The world will be watching. Let’s make sure they hear us loud and clear.
Hollywood and the entertainment industry cross borders—and so must our fight to protect children’s innocence.
John, I want to say thank you.
Because of you—because of 11,000 signatures (and counting!)—we are making changes in our world.
Your voice is ringing around the globe, literally.
This fight matters to you, and I know it—because you are paying attention, you’ve signed, you’ve donated, and you’ve made it clear that we will not back down.
For parent's rights and peace of mind, we will keep up the pressure.