Donald Trump had recently finished a familiar riff about banning gender transition surgery for children when the former president, speaking to an audience of Evangelical voters, moved on to something new: a policy that would affect transgender adults.
“I will ban all taxpayer funding for sex or gender transitions at any age,” said Trump, receiving thunderous applause at the Faith & Freedom Coalition conference in Washington last month. The Republican leader, who moments earlier had also pledged to reinstate a ban on transgender men and women serving in the military, paused for several seconds to soak in the crowd’s adulation.
It’s the kind of moment — and the type of policy — increasingly common on the GOP presidential campaign trail this year.
Only thing I’d dispute here is the “after that” part — republicans and conservatives in general are already coming for LGB, women, and minorities. Transphobia is their smokescreen / highest priority, rather than a first step. If they succeed (I hope not!) that will result in more of their energy going into attacking the other marginalized groups, rather than starting to attack those groups.
If they succeed (I hope not!) that will result in more of their energy going into attacking the other marginalized groups, rather than starting to attack those groups.
They already have. They were largely successful in their crusades against Target and Bud Light, which has emboldened them to use their thinly veiled threats of violence to push their agenda even more. I mean, we now have Republicans criticizing the Barbie movie because of they way a map is drawn in one of the background scenes. Or something.
The Barbie movie. Barbie. You know, the plastic children’s doll. Yes. That one. According to Republicans, the Barbie movie is a secret vessel to indoctrinate children with CCP propaganda. I wish I was joking.
This is what the Republican party has come down to. Everything they don’t like is a conspiracy theory that needs to be eradicated.
