Donald Trump is crazy about most things, including privately, if reports are to be believed, about gays and lesbians. But one of the paradoxes of his political career has been that even as he campaigned against racism and limited transgender rights, he tended to reject the LGBTQ bashing that was a staple of GOP rhetoric for a generation ago. By moving the GOP forward and closer to the country’s current more accepting consensus, Trump was able to convince a critical mass of northern working-class whites that he was not a holy grail, and that distinction from earlier Republicans helped him garner thousands of votes.
While some of the changes he made to party dogma appear to be permanent, there is no more welcoming tone toward the gay community among them. Since Trump left office, Republican politicians across the country have brazenly brought back anti-LGBTQ policies. More often than anywhere else, this anger has surfaced in education, but right-wing anti-LGBTQ sentiment is visible in policy areas that extend beyond all government operations. Republicans are using this cynical tactic to capitalize on their base’s hatred of LGBTQ people and try to strike a blow against the lousy moderates (although I doubt this part of the strategy will work).
The first blow against LGBTQ acceptance came from the office of North Carolina’s lieutenant governor. In a speech to a conservative church, Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson viciously referred to “homosexuality, transsexuality [sic]” as “obscenity.” The comment was distasteful, but could have been a one-off bout of hate if it hadn’t tapped into how millions of social conservatives across the country feel about LGBTQ people. In other words, the bigotry was obvious. Whether or not Robinson himself specifically inspired the push for anti-LGBTQ legislation, his hostile rhetoric paved the way for Republicans to re-embrace gay politics.
Republican leaders across the country followed Robinson’s lead. Most famously, crypto-fascist Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed a bill banning the discussion of sexual orientation and gender identity in the early grades, even though some students come to the school from households headed by same-sex couples. Many states have passed bills banning trans girls and women from competing in women’s sports. All of these bills have in common an attempt to drive a wedge between LGBTQ people and cis voters who have become more tolerant of the community. In essence, Republicans are trying to revive the wedge theme that worked for them for years, because wedge politics is indispensable for a party whose political agenda is unpopular.
These bills terrorize many members of the LGBTQ community, especially young people who are particularly vulnerable to bigotry. There is little more humiliating than seeing yourself belittled by your own government. And a climate of top-down hatred has often led to outbreaks of physical violence against vulnerable communities. What Republicans are doing by bringing back anti-LGBTQ hate politics is re-enacting the many pogroms, both physical and psychological, that the majority has inflicted on minority groups around the world and throughout history. I sincerely hope and believe that the LGBTQ community will endure this round of hate longer.
Alexander Jones is an original contributor to PoliticsNC.
