Dear John,
Fear is an emotion — but it is also a tactic. Many LGBTIQ people know this feeling well: wondering if it is safe to be visible, to be out, or simply to exist in the world in the face of discrimination, bullying, or persecution.
But political leaders and media figures can also use fear to divide people. In recent weeks, fear-based rhetoric has resurfaced in the United States, where trans people and their allies have been singled out in disturbing ways. One influential organization, the Heritage Foundation, known as the authors of the playbook Project 2025, even called for the FBI to treat what they describe as “violent transgender ideology” as a domestic terror threat.
But as my colleague Alberto wrote in this recent article, this is not a uniquely American story. Labeling people fighting for equality as threats to society is a tactic we’ve seen before, from Russia to Nicaragua, Hungary to Ghana. It’s meant to justify repression, silence dissent, and make it harder for allies to speak out.
This backlash is coordinated and well-funded. We may not have the same resources, but our movement is vast and deeply connected.
