Diane Douglas’ latest rant is just sick

I can’t decide which is more embarrassing

The fact that Arizona’s former state school superintendent can’t spell.

The fact that she accused Arizona’s current state school superintendent of promoting pedophilia.

Or the fact that we as a state elected her.

Like that crazy-eyed mole from the old arcade days, ex-state Superintendent Diane Douglas poked her head into public view on Wednesday evening. She fired off a Facebook post in which she warned the world that state Superintendent Kathy Hoffman “and her ilk” are trying to make it socially acceptable to have sex with children.

I’m not quite sure who Hoffman’s “ilk” are but Douglas apparently got all agitated by the superintendent’s proposal to change the state’s guidelines on sex education. The changes, which were not adopted by the state Board of Education, included adding language stating that sex education should “be medically and scientifically accurate.”

Cue Douglas: “Don’t doubt for one minute that part of the ‘medically and scientifically accurate’ comprehensive sex ed being pushed by Hoffman and her ilk is to get kids to be accepting of sex with adults.”

Ah, but Hoffman isn’t the only state official engaged in this grand conspiracy, according to Douglas. Read on:

“Katie Hobbs had the pedephilia (sic) flag displayed on the Capital building last week along with the homosexual flag. LGBT, next on the list for acceptance is pedaphila (sic) then incest. Leave our children OUT of your sex life and sexual agendas.”

On Thursday, Douglas acknowledged that the flag in question, hanging briefly from the state Capitol last week, was the transgender flag – one that Hobbs flew to acknowledge the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising in New York City.

In fact, there is no such thing as a “pedephila flag” – or even a pedophilia flag. That’s a social media hoax picked up and breathlessly reported on by the right-wing media outlets that Douglas relies upon for news.

On Thursday, Douglas apologized for her mistake, but not for her ignorance or her insult to the state official who replaced her.

Nor to Secretary of State Hobbs, who Douglas accused of displaying a (non-existent) flag in support of perverts.

Nor to every LGBTQ person on this planet — every one of whom Douglas slandered with the subtle implication that they’re out to get your children.

It’s been said and said and said before, but maybe it hasn’t yet reached the “news” outlets that Douglas depends upon for information, so I’ll say it again.

It is a myth that most pedophiles

are gay. Study after study has shown there is no link between pedophilia and homosexuality.

Hoffman is a speech therapist. She understands the power of words.

“This feeds right into the discrimination and propelling of fear that leads to increased rates of bullying in our schools, an increased rate of suicide and other mental health challenges,” she told The Republic.

Reasonable people can debate whether Hoffman’s proposed updates to the state’s sex education guidelines are a good idea.

But to pervert that into some twisted warning that Hoffman, Hobbs and the gay community are out to get your children?

That’s just sick.

And figuratively deserving of the same fate that befalls that crazy-eyed mole every time he pops up ...