This year, Pride is overshadowed by a somber atmosphere.
As the LGBTQ+ community commemorates Pride Month, we face a concerted and malevolent legislative assault. Since 2018, there has been a noticeable surge in anti-LGBTQ+ bills, and the trend has recently escalated, making the 2023 state legislative year the worst on record.
According to the Human Rights Campaign, over 525 such bills have been introduced in 41 states this year, with more than 75 bills already signed into law as of June 5th. Just last month, Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida, known for the infamous “Don’t Say Gay” law, signed legislation prohibiting gender transition care for minors and restricting public school employees from inquiring about children’s preferred pronouns.
Kelley Robinson, president of the Human Rights Campaign, cautioned that the number of signed bills is expected to rise even further. She stated, “There are 12 more bills awaiting governors’ approval, so by the end of this cycle, we could be facing nearly 100 new restrictions on the LGBTQ+ community.”
Consequently, the Human Rights Campaign recently declared a state of emergency for LGBTQ+ individuals in the United States, marking the first time in its 40-year history. I recently spoke with LGBTQ+ leaders and historians who have chronicled the community’s history, and all of them expressed alarm at the severity of the situation.
While there have been previous periods of backlash against the queer community, often resulting in oppressive legislation, this current wave is characterized by a chilling level of political calculation and effectiveness.
Sarah Kate Ellis, president and CEO of GLAAD, the leading LGBTQ+ media advocacy organization, described it as “a terror campaign against our community.” This form of terrorism not only punishes self-expression, condemns identities, and obstructs access to essential care but also fosters an atmosphere of hostility and issues grave threats. It resembles burning a cross on someone’s lawn, an attempt to intimidate people into submission.
Politicians from the Republican Party, behind these anti-LGBTQ+ laws, typically claim that their main, if not sole, motivation is to protect children. However, these laws perpetuate and safeguard the fragile patriarchal system, reinforcing homophobia, heterosexism, and oppressive gender-identity policing.
These politicians cater to a segment of the population that views any deviation from their archaic ideals as deviant, prompting them to construct rigid boxes. Unfortunately, for many individuals, especially young people, these boxes can become metaphorical coffins. Disturbingly, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one-fifth of gay, lesbian, or bisexual high school students attempted suicide in the past year. Additionally, the Trevor Project found that 45 percent of LGBTQ+ youths seriously contemplated suicide in the previous year.
Transgender equality movements, and by extension the broader LGBTQ+ equality movement, have been vilified by these politicians, employing tactics reminiscent of the infamous Willie Horton campaign.
One of the most disheartening aspects of this situation is witnessing a small but vocal group of self-proclaimed liberals, who one would expect to be allies, aiding and abetting transphobic arguments.
Some feminists argue that full inclusion of trans women is anti-feminist, claiming it harms the rights of cisgender women. Within the queer community, there are those who remain shockingly silent on trans rights, treating the issue as a zero-sum game. Rather than showing solidarity with the trans community, they view the fight for trans rights as a threat to the hard-fought progress of gay men, lesbians, and bisexuals. They choose not to stand up for this cause.
However, by remaining silent on this issue, if you identify as queer, you betray your own cause. Silence won’t protect you; it will only embolden your adversaries and reveal your cowardice.
The transgender community appears to be a prime target for culture war bullies, given its relatively smaller size within the queer community and society as a whole. According to a study by the Williams Institute at U.C.L.A., about 1.6 million people aged 13 or older in the United States, or 0.6 percent of the population, identify as transgender.
Furthermore, a 2021 survey indicated that nearly 70 percent of Americans know a gay or lesbian person, while only about one in five claimed to know someone who is transgender. This number has increased but remains low. It’s comparable to the proportion of people who reported seeing a ghost in a 2021 YouGov poll.
In an environment of unfamiliarity and ignorance about who trans individuals truly are, hysteria and cruelty flourish. People conjure malevolent stereotypes of trans individuals as predators or “groomers” lurking in restrooms and changing rooms. They imagine a distorted image of a Frankenstein’s monster wearing lipstick, providing justification for their hostility.
Despite feeling overwhelmed by this onslaught, the advocates I spoke with remain optimistic about eventual victory and the waning of this backlash.
However, once laws are enacted, they can be challenging to repeal. H.I.V. criminalization laws and laws against same-sex marriage still persist in some states, even after years of efforts to overturn them.
Michael Bronski, a Harvard professor and the author of “A Queer History of the United States,” points out that arguing against these draconian laws on constitutional grounds can be futile if they are already in effect. He predicts it may take decades to remove them from the books.
This could lead to a future in which the country becomes further divided, with some states embracing oppression against the LGBTQ+ community while others become safe havens for those seeking refuge from discrimination. It resembles the nation’s division during the era of Jim Crow laws. In fact, one could refer to this era as the emergence of “Jim Queer.”
