Democratic Virginia state senator and lieutenant governor candidate Ghazala Hashmi is facing renewed scrutiny after comments resurfaced from a 2023 committee meeting in which she said she doesn’t “really care” about sexually explicit materials being available to children in public schools.

Hashmi made the remarks during a Public Education Subcommittee meeting on Senate Bill 1463, legislation that would require all public and school libraries in Virginia to place parental advisory labels on books containing sexually explicit content accessible to minors.

The measure was introduced to give parents more visibility into the type of material their children could access in school libraries.

🚨🚨🚨 Ghazala Hashmi, a Dem hoping to be the lieutenant governor, said that she doesn’t “really care” if kids are exposed to sexually explicit material.

Story by @BrasfieldAshley @DailyCaller pic.twitter.com/US2OOEFmkK

— Nicole Silverio (@NicoleMSilverio) October 23, 2025

“We seem to focus on sexual explicit material. I don’t really care about that,” Hashmi said during the meeting.

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The bill, sponsored by Republican lawmakers, aimed to provide parents with a clearer system for identifying age-appropriate material. Hashmi’s remarks came after a discussion between members of the committee about how to best balance parental involvement with library autonomy.

During the hearing, Republican state Sen. Amanda Chase referenced a similar proposal that would require schools to label or flag books with explicit sexual content. The intention, Chase said, was to help parents — especially those with multiple children — monitor reading materials more easily.

“Many parents don’t have time to review every book their kids bring home,” Chase said, adding that advisory labels would give families a simple and effective tool to protect minors from inappropriate content.

Representatives from the Virginia School Librarians Association and the Virginia Library Association spoke against the bill, arguing that it would undermine professional discretion and impose unnecessary restrictions.

They maintained that it is ultimately parents’ responsibility to oversee what their children read.

Chase pressed the point that most parents expect schools to provide safe, age-appropriate materials. Before she could continue, Hashmi interrupted, saying, “I think we won’t engage in a debate,” and moved to end further discussion.

She then thanked the Virginia Library Association for its input and invited others to speak in opposition. When no one did, she added her own remarks.

“I’ll just say one of my concerns is violence,” Hashmi said.

“We seem to focus on sexual explicit material. I don’t really care about that; I care about the gratuitous violence that children are exposed to — not necessarily through books, but through all of the other social media. I think that does far greater harm to our children.”

The Hashmi campaign did not respond to the Daily Caller’s request for comment about her statement.

The resurfaced remarks have drawn attention as the lieutenant governor’s race intensifies. Republican nominee John Reid seized on the issue this week, staging a mock debate that featured an AI-generated stand-in for Hashmi after he said she repeatedly declined to debate him in person.

Hashmi’s campaign released a new television and digital ad on Tuesday accusing Reid of planning to “close public schools” and divert taxpayer funds to private education programs. Reid called the ad “false,” saying Hashmi was “misrepresenting his record” and avoiding public accountability.

Senate Bill 1463 remains part of a broader debate in Virginia over parental involvement in education and access to sexually explicit materials in public schools.

The issue gained momentum after several Virginia school districts drew criticism for stocking books with graphic sexual content, prompting some parents to call for stricter oversight.

Hashmi’s 2023 comments have reignited that discussion ahead of the November election, as voters weigh candidates’ positions on transparency, parental rights, and educational standards across the state.