transgender

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For the past four years, Republicans have mounted a pretty effective crusade against trans people. What started in 2020 with an Idaho law against trans participation in sports has grown into attacks on our healthcare, freedom of expression, bathrooms, and more. But beyond legislative action, these actions have contributed a great deal to the rise in transphobia among the general population. Except there’s a catch: the rhetoric doesn't always work. And if it goes too far, it can even be detrimental to the transphobia it intends to promote.

When an unpopular political party is in power, the positions opposite their own tend to get a surge in support. During Trump’s first term, we saw this on full display: increases in support for abortion, same-sex marriage, trans rights, gun control, and almost everything else. When Biden was in office, there was backsliding on all these issues except for abortion, which remained steady because of the Supreme Court. Republicans knew this, and that’s why they went all in on curtailing trans rights.

However, anti-trans campaigns are very difficult to get right. In 2016, when North Carolina passed ‘bathroom bill’ HB2, the backlash was so severe it’s largely responsible for costing the Republican governor his job. So they pivoted. They picked a new line of attack, one based on ‘protecting kids from harm’ (and for sports, ‘fairness’), and passed laws accordingly. Over time, the culture war issue they manufactured became the centerpiece of their campaign strategy.