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Transphobia: Leading Contender for Flop of the Year
It’s Trans Awareness Week! This year, we’re coming off of another round of election results where anti-trans rhetoric was an absolute flop at the ballot box. In Kentucky, Ohio, and Virginia, Republicans spent millions of dollars against candidates and ballot measures, trying to utilize anti-trans hate to advance their agenda that would ban abortion and gender-affirming medical care.
To mark the occasion, DFP’s LGBTQ+ Issues Working Group authored a new Insights article, making the case for why Democrats should stand strong against anti-trans attacks and codify medical care protections the next chance they get. The article also features new polling, which find that a majority of voters (55%), including 76% of Democrats and 56% of Independents, think that state lawmakers should not be allowed to implement full bans on abortion and gender-affirming medical care, or place criminal penalties on physicians who provide this care
Maybe because transphobes thought that because it was so easy to simply stop drinking Bud Light, it would be easy to win a political campaign by attacking trans people. But when you try to get America to hate someone as positive and loveable as Dylan Mulvaney, you shouldn’t be surprised when America turns against you instead.
If you know a trans person — or even if you don’t — you know this is an issue worth fighting for. State bans on gender-affirming medical care, like state bans on abortion, threaten public health and personal freedom. Democrats need to defend bodily autonomy and the right of families to make decisions about their medical care. The ongoing success of reproductive rights — and failure of anti-trans attacks — at the ballot box should give them the political courage to do so.
Read the full Insights article here.
Here are some other highlights from DFP this week:
More like Don’t Say “Fourth Choice for House Speaker”
When he’s not denying the 2020 election results or receiving his world-championship title for Most Generic-Sounding Man in Politics, House Speaker Mike Johnson spends his time trying to strip away LGBTQ+ Americans' rights.
Before becoming speaker of the House of Representatives, Mike Johnson introduced legislation that would essentially function as a national “Don’t Say Gay or Transgender” law. Modeled after the controversial Florida law signed by Governor Ron DeSantis, this bill would “prohibit the use of Federal funds to develop, implement, facilitate, or fund any sexually-oriented program, event, or literature for children under the age of 10, and for other purposes."
This legislation would ban federally funded community spaces, including public schools, libraries, hospitals, government office buildings, and military bases, from featuring any programs, events, or literature that merely mention gay or transgender people. That means no public discussions about boygenius, no drag queens, no pride celebrations — basically no fun!
Data for Progress finds that a majority of voters oppose different policy implications of this legislation. For example, a majority of voters (52%) oppose federal legislation banning public schools, libraries, and hospitals from having programs, events, or literature that mention gay or transgender people. This includes 72% of Democrats and 50% of Independents.
This builds upon our polling from two weeks ago showing that Speaker Johnson’s villainous agenda on abortion and LGBTQ+ rights, including banning abortion in all 50 states and allowing states to criminalize gay sex, is highly unpopular with voters. It seems Johnson is struggling hard to win over America with his extremist agenda — but coming from the guy who tried to blame abortion for school shootings, we weren’t expecting much.
Read the latest polling here.
Please don’t make us learn what a buckeye is…
Look, it’s no secret that progressives and Joe Manchin have had a love-hate relationship more toxic than your last ex. But with his recent announcement that he will not seek reelection in West Virginia, we’re already on our way to a much more progressive rebound: Sherrod Brown, who has now become even more essential to keeping Democratic control of the Senate in 2024.
The 2024 elections are right around the corner and Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown is running for a fourth term to represent Ohio in the U.S. Senate. In a sign of hope, Data for Progress finds Brown tied with or leading all of his Republican challengers. In a state Biden lost by 8 points, it's a pretty good sign!
As the saying goes, so Ohio goes, so goes the nation. This year, it may be more accurate to say: so Ohio goes, so goes our democracy. It’s truly unfortunate that the future of our country might depend on all of us knowing what a buckeye is. If Michigan beats Ohio State next Saturday, can we all make sure to find a way to blame the Ohio GOP?
Read the full polling here.
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