The far right and Republican Party have manufactured a disinformation
and hate speech campaign against transgender people.
On Trans Day of Visibility, we must fight anti-trans disinformation
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Imara Jones and Margaret Huang
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Friend,
From the Conservative Political Action Conference to statehouse floors
across the country, the far right and Republican Party have
manufactured a disinformation and hate speech campaign against
transgender people. The false rhetoric they are deploying - and
the violence and political action it has inspired - makes clear
their intentions to deny trans people the ability to live safely and
freely.
On Transgender Day of Visibility, and every day, we must affirm trans
lives by pushing back against disinformation and conspiratorial
thinking.
Anti-transgender disinformation is proliferating online and in
conservative media and political landscapes. With deep roots in the
white Christian nationalist movement, anti-trans rhetoric and
disinformation are centered around the myth that transgender
identities are not real.
Lies about trans people are being used by Christian nationalist
organizations and politicians to validate legislation targeting the
trans community, with more than 385 anti-trans bills
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introduced across the country so far this year. Further, this
disinformation is motivating harassment and violence against trans
people, particularly Black trans people
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, as right-wing groups demonize and criminalize the trans community
and anyone who supports them.
The Alliance Defending Freedom
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(ADF), for example, has long claimed that the "homosexual
agenda" will destroy Christianity and society. The group
has already defended laws
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forcing the sterilization of transgender people abroad. By
spreading bogus narratives against trans people, groups like the ADF
have captured the attention of lawmakers and the public, urging
collective hatred and evisceration of trans people.
Disinformation has devastating consequences for trans children. Some
lawmakers are pushing myths like "rapid onset gender
dysphoria," which holds that more kids are coming out as
the result of a "social contagion," to justify
passage of laws that ban trans medical care. We saw another
disgraceful example of this last week, when Georgia Gov. Brian
Kemp
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signed a bill to deny trans youth safe, effective medical
treatment and to criminalize doctors who offer them medical care.
These laws severely restrict the ability and autonomy of young people
to make informed decisions about their health with their parents,
doctors and psychotherapists.
This junk science is not new. Right-wing groups and legislators rely
on it to validate baseless claims about trans people and
discriminatory laws like that in Georgia that deny trans rights,
visibility and life-saving care. While this science has already been
widely debunked
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, especially the problematic work of Dr. Lisa Littman, mainstream
media and news organizations are echoing
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the propaganda promoted by the Christian nationalist movement.
In line with the ADF, groups including the American College of
Pediatricians
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launder this junk science, giving more oxygen to narratives that
cause lifelong harm.
To be clear, Christian nationalist groups and right-wing politicians
are citing discredited claims to validate their arguments
against trans people. Studies show
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that trans children are more likely to continue to identify as
trans as they grow up. Further, trans kids who are not affirmed in
their gender identity are more likely to engage in self-harm
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, and children who are pushed into gender-reversion tactics, like
conversion therapy, are four times more likely
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to attempt suicide.
These groups also prey on anxious parents with transgender children
online. Using platforms like 4thWaveNow, Christian nationalists
overwhelm parents with false evidence, playing on their fears with
already debunked lies and tired tropes. These online communities can
exacerbate confusion felt by parents of trans children and enable the
unchecked spread of anti-trans disinformation.
This violent rhetoric - like the call to eradicate
"transgenderism" at CPAC-has corrosive
consequences for us all. Hospitals that provide gender-affirming care,
such as Boston Children's Hospital and Vanderbilt University Medical
Center, regularly receive bomb threats. Drag Queen Story hours, for
kids of all backgrounds, are targeted by violent hate groups. And
adults supportive of trans kids, from doctors to school board members
to parents, are marked for death.
Trans people are 2.5 times more likely
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to be victims of violence than cisgender people-and as
anti-trans disinformation intensifies, so too does the threat to trans
people and those who support them.
But it's not too late to act. The good news is that there is an
antidote to disinformation. We must all do our part to educate
ourselves and our friends and families about how to spot
disinformation, report it and call out hateful speech or acts wherever
and whenever they arise. We have a responsibility to uplift and affirm
transgender people and amplify their voices, especially those fighting
against hate.
When we embrace and celebrate people for who we are, no amount of
disinformation or hate can quell our collective power.
Sincerely,
The Southern Poverty Law Center
This op-ed first appeared on Newsweek.com.
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