After decades of gains in public acceptance, the LGBTQ community is confronting a climate in which political leaders are once again calling them weirdos and predators. Texas Governor Greg Abbott has directed the Department of Family and Protective Services to investigate the parents of transgender children; Governor Ron DeSantis has tried to purge Florida classrooms of books that acknowledge the reality that some people aren’t straight or cisgender; Missouri has imposed rules that limit access to gender-affirming care for trans people of all ages. Donald Trump is promising to nationalize such efforts. He doesn’t just want to surveil, miseducate, and repress children who are exploring their emerging identities. He wants to interfere in the private lives of millions of adults, revoking freedoms that any pluralistic society should protect.
During his 2016 campaign, Trump seemed to think that feigning sympathy for queer people was good PR. “I will do everything in my power to protect our LGBTQ citizens,” he promised. Then, while in office, he oversaw a broad rollback of LGBTQ protections, removing gender identity and sexuality from federal nondiscrimination provisions regarding health care, employment, and housing. His Defense Department restricted soldiers’ right to transition and banned trans people from enlisting; his State Department refused to issue visas to the same-sex domestic partners of diplomats. Yet when seeking reelection in 2020, Trump still made a show of throwing a Pride-themed rally.
Now, recognizing that red-state voters have been energized by anti-queer demagoguery, he’s not even pretending to be tolerant. “These people are sick; they are deranged,” Trump said during a speech, amid a rant about transgender athletes in June. When the audience cheered at his mention of “transgender insanity,” he marveled, “It’s amazing how strongly people feel about that. You see, I’m talking about cutting taxes, people go like that.” He pantomimed weak applause. “But you mention transgender, everyone goes crazy.” The rhetoric has become a fixture of his rallies.
When the audience cheered at his mention of “transgender insanity,” he marveled, “It’s amazing how strongly people feel about that. You see, I’m talking about cutting taxes, people go like that.” He pantomimed weak applause. “But you mention transgender, everyone goes crazy.” The rhetoric has become a fixture of his rallies.
Even Dipshit Don knows that the only thing that fuels the christofascists is the fear that they can’t bully people into acting like their God is real anymore and the hatred that arises from that realization.
I’ve said it before: Christian Nationalists don’t think of this as our country, together; they think of it as theirs, but the secular/woke/LGBTQ/socialist
peoplevermin have stolen their birthright. They don’t think anyone to the left of Ted Cruz can hold legitimate political power. The entire US fascist movement makes sense when understood this way.Christian Nationalists
No no no, they aren’t Christian Nationalists, they’re Nationalist Christians! Or Nat-Cs, for short.
Textbook example of stoking hatred of minority groups makes it easier for the class based poison pills to go down.
This should surprise nobody.
You say this, but I am reminded of a very, very stupid gay Spanish teacher I had who absolutely bought into Trump’s lie hook, line and sinker. It shouldn’t surprise anyone, but there are always idiots.
He sucks, but the man can read a room. The right felt they lost on anti-gay so sowed an anti-trans movement for about a decade. Trump’s just here to reap.
Greg Abbott and Donald Trump aren’t men because their dicks don’t function completely and they have to sit to pee or pee in a diaper. They should have to change their gender to Female because they’re not real men according to their definition.
