After years of progrs on gay rights, how did the US bee so anti-LGBTQ+? | US news | The Guardian

Contents:

• AFTER YEARS OF PROGRS ON GAY RIGHTS, HOW DID THE US BEE SO ANTI-LGBTQ+?
• THE G.O.P. TRI TO BUILD A GAY GHETTO
• WHY ARE CONSERVATIV SO FREAKED OUT BY GAYS?SCAREDTHE PH ARIZONA TO LEGALIZE DISCRIMATN DIDN’T E OUT OF NOWHERE. IT WAS A RPONSE TO THE IMAGARY BELIEF THE “HOMOSEXUAL AGENDA” OF “TOTAL DOMATN.”DEAN OBEIDALLAHUPDATED JUL. 12, 2017 12:57PM EDT / PUBLISHED MAR. 01, 2014 12:00AM EST GETTYSOME ON THE RIGHT ARE REALLY EAKED OUT BY GAYS. IN FACT, SOME DON’T EVEN WANT TO DO BS WH THEM. YOU REALLY NEED TO HAVE SOME SER ISSU WH GAY PEOPLE TO SAY “NO” TO THEIR MONEY THIS CHALLENGG ENOMY. WHY IS FEAR MONGERG AGAST THE LGBT MUNY PART OF THE NSERVATIVE PLATFORM? TE, ARIZONA ERNOR JAN BREWER JT VETOED A BILL THAT WOULD’VE SENCE LEGALLY SANCTNED DISCRIMATN AGAST MEMBERS OF THE GAY MUNY, BUT STILL 13 OTHER STAT ARE OR HAVE RECENTLY NSIRED SIAR LAWS. PEOPLE LIKE RH LIMBGH, MICHELLE BACHMANN, AND TUCKER CARLSON ALL PUBLICLY SUPPORT THE PROPOSED ARIZONA LAW, WH CARLSON LLG NECSARY TO PREVENT “FASCISM.” TEA PARTY NATN PRINT JUDSON PHILLIPS EVEN SAID THAT WHOUT THIS LAW, CHRISTIANS ULD BE FORCED TO BAKE WEDDG K THE SHAPE OF A GIANT PENIS. THEN THERE ARE THE FLUENTIAL NSERVATIVE “CHRISTIAN” GROUPS WHO HAVE LONG MONIZED GAYS, SUCH AS BRYAN FISCHER AT THE AMERIN FAY ASSOCIATN (AFA) WHO SAID THE “HOMOSEXUAL AGENDA” IS “THE GREATT IMMEDIATE THREAT TO EVERY EEDOM AND RIGHT THAT IS ENSHRED THE FIRST AMENDMENT.” EVEN THE REPUBLIN PARTY’S 2012 PLATFORM MA SEEM LIKE THE END OF DAYS WERE APPROACHG WH THEIR SCRIPTN OF GAY MARRIAGE AS “AN ASSLT ON THE FOUNDATNS OF OUR SOCIETY.” [ IS THERE REALLY A NEFAR “HOMOSEXUAL AGENDA”? COULD BE THAT GAY PEOPLE PERSONALLY DID SOMETHG TO PISS OFF THE RIGHT?BEG NEHER GAY NOR A NSERVATIVE, I WANTED TO FIGURE OUT WHAT’S UP. SO, I EMPLOYED A TWO-PRONG APPROACH: FIRST, ASK NSERVATIV: WHAT’S YOUR PROBLEM WH GAYS? SEND, ASK GAY PEOPLE TO REVEAL THEIR “HOMOSEXUAL AGENDA” AND FD OUT WHAT THE HELL THEY ARE DOG THAT SR THE RIGHT SO MUCH?I BEGAN BY REACHG OUT THE NSERVATIVE GROUPS LIKE AFA, THE FAY REARCH COUNCIL (FRC), AND THE ALLIANCE DEFENDG FREEDOM (ADF), WHICH IS THE ANIZATN THAT CHAMPNED THE ARIZONA ANTI-GAY BILL.NOT ALL RPOND, BUT THE AFA’S FORMER GENERAL MANAGER, DR. BTER WILSON, RPOND VIA EMAIL HIS PERSONAL PACY. WILSON EXPLAED THE “HOMOSEXUAL AGENDA” THIS LIGHT: “SIMPLE ‘EQUALY’ IS NOT THE GOAL OF THE GAY ACTIVISTS. THEY WANT TOTAL DOMATN SOME S…NOT JT ‘ACCEPT THEM’ BUT TO BOW TO THEM AND THEIR WANTS.“I ALSO HEARD OM A SPOKPERSON FOR THE FRC WHO FORWARD ME S ANIZATN’S PAMPHLET, “THE TOP TEN MYTHS ABOUT HOMOSEXUALY.” THIS PAMPHLET MAK CLEAR THAT SOME AT THE FRC ARE TLY OBSSED WH GAYS, ’S AN ALMOST A STALKER-QUE FIXATN WH MENTS ABOUT THE ALLEGED DATG AND EVEN SEXUAL HABS OF GAYS.I NNECTED WH A NSERVATIVE REPUBLIN POLIL STRATEGIST WHO WANTED TO REMA ANONYMO. HE EXPLAED THAT NSERVATIVE CHRISTIANS ARE NOT JT OPPOSED TO HOMOSEXUALY, BUT TO ALL SS, LIKE ADULTERY AND GLUTTONY. HOWEVER, HE MENTED THAT ADULTERERS AREN’T HAVG PARAS THE STREETS NOR ARE THEY SEEKG LEGAL PROTECTN TO M THEIR SS.OKAY, LET’S TURN TO THE LGBT MUNY. FIRST, THEY ALL NIED DOG ANYTHG PERSONALLY TO PISS OFF NSERVATIV. BUT EACH OFFERED THEIR OWN THEORY FOR THE RIGHT’S FEAR AND LOATHG.ROSS MURRAY, GLAAD’S DIRECTOR OF NEWS, SAID THAT SOME NSERVATIV ARE ANGRY BEE THEY ERRONEOLY VIEW EEDOM AS A “ZERO-SUM GAME,” MEANG THAT IF LGBT MUNY ACHIEV EQUAL TREATMENT UNR THE LAW, THEY WILL LOSE . MURRAY EXPLAED THAT WHILE MANY THE LGBT MUNY NO LONGER HAVE TO HI FOR FEAR OF LOSG, “OUR JOBS, OUR FAY, AND ALL OF OUR ROURC,” THEY ARE STILL SUBJECT TO VLENT ATTACKS AND, “GAY PEOPLE N STILL BE FIRED OM THEIR JOBS 29 STAT, AND TRANSGENR PEOPLE N BE 33.” COMEDIAN SABRA JALE, A MOMENT OF BTAL NDOR, REVEALED A B OF THE HOMOSEXUAL AGENDA: “YOU SHOULD SEE WHAT WE'VE GOT PLANNED ONCE WE GET OUR EQUAL RIGHTS. WE'RE GONNA GO AHEAD AND KEEP LIVG. ALMOST EXACTLY THE SAME WAS HETEROSEXUALS DO, JT WH BETTER CLOTH.”DAILY BEAST LUMNIST AND CNN NTRIBUTOR SALLY KOHN RPOND: "APPARENTLY, FAIRNS AND EQUALY JT PISS SOME PEOPLE OFF…I'M NOT GOG TO SAY THAT ALL THE EXTREMIST HOMOPHOB ARE REALLY JT JEALO. SO I WON'T SAY . BUT..."COMEDIAN JUDY GOLD WAS PUZZLED BY THE RIGHT’S ANGER NSIRG: “THEY LISTEN TO OUR MIC AND RAD SHOWS, WATCH OUR FILMS…BUY OUR CLOTH AND JEWELRY, LET STYLE THEIR HAIR…AND SIGN THEIR HOM AND OFFIC.”JIM DAVID, ALSO A EDIAN, RPOND SUCCCTLY: “PEOPLE WHO AREN'T HAVG ANY GOOD SEX ARE SERLY THREATENED BY THOSE WHO ARE.” I ALSO REACHED OUT TO A PERSON WHO STRADDL THE TWO MUNI, GREGORY ANGELO, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE LOG CAB REPUBLINS. ANGELO BELIEV THAT ONLY A SMALL VOL PORTN OF THE RIGHT TLY HAS ISSU WH GAYS. HE WAS OPTIMISTIC THAT MANY REPUBLINS VIEWS OF THE LGBT MUNY WERE EVOLVG FOR THE BETTER, PECIALLY LENNIALS.HOWEVER, THE MOST ALARMG RPONSE WAS OM A IEND WHO WORKS FOR A NON-PROF ANIZATN. HE WOULDN’T PERM ME TO CLU HIS NAME THIS ARTICLE BEE A BIG PART OF HIS EMPLOYER’S FUNDG OM A CHRISTIAN ANIZATN AND HE FEARS BEG FIRED IF THEY DISVER HE’S GAY.SO WHAT’S MY NCLN? CLEARLY SOME, NOT ALL, ON THE RIGHT ARE ANGRY, AAID OR SIMPLY EAKED OUT BY GAY PEOPLE. THEY FEAR THAT THE LGBT MUNY, WHICH IS A SMALL PERCENTAGE OF OUR POPULATN, WILL ONE DAY DOMATE AMERI.THE LGBT MUNY, ON THE OTHER HAND, SIMPLY SEEKS EQUAL RIGHTS UNR THE LAW. THEY WANT TO BE JUDGED ON THEIR WORK, NOT FIRED FOR THEIR SEXUAL ORIENTATN.WHO WILL W? WELL, IF OUR HISTORY OF EVOLVG ON ISSU OF RACE AND RELIGN IS ANY GUI, THE LGBT MUNY WILL PREVAIL. IT WILL TAKE TIME AND EFFORT, BUT I PREDICT NFINTLY THEY WILL OVERE, AND THAT’S A GOOD THG FOR OUR NATN. DEAN OBEIDALLAH
• WHY DO REPUBLINS HATE GAY PEOPLE
• WHY IS THE CHRISTIAN RIGHT BRGG BACK ANTI-GAY TALKG POTS?
• WHY I’M A GAY REPUBLIN

AFTER YEARS OF PROGRS ON GAY RIGHTS, HOW DID THE US BEE SO ANTI-LGBTQ+?

Gay Republins like Gee Santos want to ny , but hatg gays is part of the MAGA package, the seethg rentment that they have for everyone and everythg that has eaten away at their hegemony. This is an important shift — or rather, an important revelatn of what Amerin homophobia has always been: An extrible part of right-wg, ultra-patrtic natnalism, bound up wh racism, sexism, and hatred of immigrants. The people attackg gays right now aren’t relig fundamentalists as much as they are natnalists, “patrts, ” and extremists — proponents of what some have lled “Whe Christian Natnalism.

As much as gay Republins like Gee Santos and Milo Yiannapoulos want to ny , hatg gays is part of the MAGA package, the seethg rentment that the still-domant group of Amerins have for everyone and everythg that has eaten away at their hegemony, om the phrase “Happy Holidays” to Spanish-language tax forms, abortn pills to no-flt divorce (y, they’re g for that too), rabow shirts at Target to the Black Ltle Mermaid. If anythg, the relative peace we enjoyed over the last several years was due to – I hate to adm this – Donald Tmp, who dulged his alli’ homophobia but is clearly not a homophobe himself. But there are enough Amerins — based on recent pollg data, around 30 to 40 ln Amerins – who regularly list same-sex marriage and the acceptance of gay people (let alone trans people) as the signs that Ameri is head for moral llapse.

THE G.O.P. TRI TO BUILD A GAY GHETTO

The Supreme Court, for example, now has a majory of members who have said that same-sex marriage should be eher overturned or severely limed — two have said that not all marriag are created equal, and that gay on n be a kd of send-class marriage whout the rights that straight on posss.

And the feral urt system, stacked wh Tmp appote hand-picked by the right-wg theocrat Leonard Leo, has distorted the meang of “relig liberty” to clu everythg om discrimatg agast gay upl who want to adopt a child to optg out of public health regulatns. The same el which, five mut ago, were llg gay people groomers and child molters then fall over themselv to nmn this shockg, pletely unforeeable act of vlence, th evadg all acuntabily.

WHY ARE CONSERVATIV SO FREAKED OUT BY GAYS?SCAREDTHE PH ARIZONA TO LEGALIZE DISCRIMATN DIDN’T E OUT OF NOWHERE. IT WAS A RPONSE TO THE IMAGARY BELIEF THE “HOMOSEXUAL AGENDA” OF “TOTAL DOMATN.”DEAN OBEIDALLAHUPDATED JUL. 12, 2017 12:57PM EDT / PUBLISHED MAR. 01, 2014 12:00AM EST GETTYSOME ON THE RIGHT ARE REALLY EAKED OUT BY GAYS. IN FACT, SOME DON’T EVEN WANT TO DO BS WH THEM. YOU REALLY NEED TO HAVE SOME SER ISSU WH GAY PEOPLE TO SAY “NO” TO THEIR MONEY THIS CHALLENGG ENOMY. WHY IS FEAR MONGERG AGAST THE LGBT MUNY PART OF THE NSERVATIVE PLATFORM? TE, ARIZONA ERNOR JAN BREWER JT VETOED A BILL THAT WOULD’VE SENCE LEGALLY SANCTNED DISCRIMATN AGAST MEMBERS OF THE GAY MUNY, BUT STILL 13 OTHER STAT ARE OR HAVE RECENTLY NSIRED SIAR LAWS. PEOPLE LIKE RH LIMBGH, MICHELLE BACHMANN, AND TUCKER CARLSON ALL PUBLICLY SUPPORT THE PROPOSED ARIZONA LAW, WH CARLSON LLG NECSARY TO PREVENT “FASCISM.” TEA PARTY NATN PRINT JUDSON PHILLIPS EVEN SAID THAT WHOUT THIS LAW, CHRISTIANS ULD BE FORCED TO BAKE WEDDG K THE SHAPE OF A GIANT PENIS. THEN THERE ARE THE FLUENTIAL NSERVATIVE “CHRISTIAN” GROUPS WHO HAVE LONG MONIZED GAYS, SUCH AS BRYAN FISCHER AT THE AMERIN FAY ASSOCIATN (AFA) WHO SAID THE “HOMOSEXUAL AGENDA” IS “THE GREATT IMMEDIATE THREAT TO EVERY EEDOM AND RIGHT THAT IS ENSHRED THE FIRST AMENDMENT.” EVEN THE REPUBLIN PARTY’S 2012 PLATFORM MA SEEM LIKE THE END OF DAYS WERE APPROACHG WH THEIR SCRIPTN OF GAY MARRIAGE AS “AN ASSLT ON THE FOUNDATNS OF OUR SOCIETY.” [ IS THERE REALLY A NEFAR “HOMOSEXUAL AGENDA”? COULD BE THAT GAY PEOPLE PERSONALLY DID SOMETHG TO PISS OFF THE RIGHT?BEG NEHER GAY NOR A NSERVATIVE, I WANTED TO FIGURE OUT WHAT’S UP. SO, I EMPLOYED A TWO-PRONG APPROACH: FIRST, ASK NSERVATIV: WHAT’S YOUR PROBLEM WH GAYS? SEND, ASK GAY PEOPLE TO REVEAL THEIR “HOMOSEXUAL AGENDA” AND FD OUT WHAT THE HELL THEY ARE DOG THAT SR THE RIGHT SO MUCH?I BEGAN BY REACHG OUT THE NSERVATIVE GROUPS LIKE AFA, THE FAY REARCH COUNCIL (FRC), AND THE ALLIANCE DEFENDG FREEDOM (ADF), WHICH IS THE ANIZATN THAT CHAMPNED THE ARIZONA ANTI-GAY BILL.NOT ALL RPOND, BUT THE AFA’S FORMER GENERAL MANAGER, DR. BTER WILSON, RPOND VIA EMAIL HIS PERSONAL PACY. WILSON EXPLAED THE “HOMOSEXUAL AGENDA” THIS LIGHT: “SIMPLE ‘EQUALY’ IS NOT THE GOAL OF THE GAY ACTIVISTS. THEY WANT TOTAL DOMATN SOME S…NOT JT ‘ACCEPT THEM’ BUT TO BOW TO THEM AND THEIR WANTS.“I ALSO HEARD OM A SPOKPERSON FOR THE FRC WHO FORWARD ME S ANIZATN’S PAMPHLET, “THE TOP TEN MYTHS ABOUT HOMOSEXUALY.” THIS PAMPHLET MAK CLEAR THAT SOME AT THE FRC ARE TLY OBSSED WH GAYS, ’S AN ALMOST A STALKER-QUE FIXATN WH MENTS ABOUT THE ALLEGED DATG AND EVEN SEXUAL HABS OF GAYS.I NNECTED WH A NSERVATIVE REPUBLIN POLIL STRATEGIST WHO WANTED TO REMA ANONYMO. HE EXPLAED THAT NSERVATIVE CHRISTIANS ARE NOT JT OPPOSED TO HOMOSEXUALY, BUT TO ALL SS, LIKE ADULTERY AND GLUTTONY. HOWEVER, HE MENTED THAT ADULTERERS AREN’T HAVG PARAS THE STREETS NOR ARE THEY SEEKG LEGAL PROTECTN TO M THEIR SS.OKAY, LET’S TURN TO THE LGBT MUNY. FIRST, THEY ALL NIED DOG ANYTHG PERSONALLY TO PISS OFF NSERVATIV. BUT EACH OFFERED THEIR OWN THEORY FOR THE RIGHT’S FEAR AND LOATHG.ROSS MURRAY, GLAAD’S DIRECTOR OF NEWS, SAID THAT SOME NSERVATIV ARE ANGRY BEE THEY ERRONEOLY VIEW EEDOM AS A “ZERO-SUM GAME,” MEANG THAT IF LGBT MUNY ACHIEV EQUAL TREATMENT UNR THE LAW, THEY WILL LOSE . MURRAY EXPLAED THAT WHILE MANY THE LGBT MUNY NO LONGER HAVE TO HI FOR FEAR OF LOSG, “OUR JOBS, OUR FAY, AND ALL OF OUR ROURC,” THEY ARE STILL SUBJECT TO VLENT ATTACKS AND, “GAY PEOPLE N STILL BE FIRED OM THEIR JOBS 29 STAT, AND TRANSGENR PEOPLE N BE 33.” COMEDIAN SABRA JALE, A MOMENT OF BTAL NDOR, REVEALED A B OF THE HOMOSEXUAL AGENDA: “YOU SHOULD SEE WHAT WE'VE GOT PLANNED ONCE WE GET OUR EQUAL RIGHTS. WE'RE GONNA GO AHEAD AND KEEP LIVG. ALMOST EXACTLY THE SAME WAS HETEROSEXUALS DO, JT WH BETTER CLOTH.”DAILY BEAST LUMNIST AND CNN NTRIBUTOR SALLY KOHN RPOND: "APPARENTLY, FAIRNS AND EQUALY JT PISS SOME PEOPLE OFF…I'M NOT GOG TO SAY THAT ALL THE EXTREMIST HOMOPHOB ARE REALLY JT JEALO. SO I WON'T SAY . BUT..."COMEDIAN JUDY GOLD WAS PUZZLED BY THE RIGHT’S ANGER NSIRG: “THEY LISTEN TO OUR MIC AND RAD SHOWS, WATCH OUR FILMS…BUY OUR CLOTH AND JEWELRY, LET STYLE THEIR HAIR…AND SIGN THEIR HOM AND OFFIC.”JIM DAVID, ALSO A EDIAN, RPOND SUCCCTLY: “PEOPLE WHO AREN'T HAVG ANY GOOD SEX ARE SERLY THREATENED BY THOSE WHO ARE.” I ALSO REACHED OUT TO A PERSON WHO STRADDL THE TWO MUNI, GREGORY ANGELO, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE LOG CAB REPUBLINS. ANGELO BELIEV THAT ONLY A SMALL VOL PORTN OF THE RIGHT TLY HAS ISSU WH GAYS. HE WAS OPTIMISTIC THAT MANY REPUBLINS VIEWS OF THE LGBT MUNY WERE EVOLVG FOR THE BETTER, PECIALLY LENNIALS.HOWEVER, THE MOST ALARMG RPONSE WAS OM A IEND WHO WORKS FOR A NON-PROF ANIZATN. HE WOULDN’T PERM ME TO CLU HIS NAME THIS ARTICLE BEE A BIG PART OF HIS EMPLOYER’S FUNDG OM A CHRISTIAN ANIZATN AND HE FEARS BEG FIRED IF THEY DISVER HE’S GAY.SO WHAT’S MY NCLN? CLEARLY SOME, NOT ALL, ON THE RIGHT ARE ANGRY, AAID OR SIMPLY EAKED OUT BY GAY PEOPLE. THEY FEAR THAT THE LGBT MUNY, WHICH IS A SMALL PERCENTAGE OF OUR POPULATN, WILL ONE DAY DOMATE AMERI.THE LGBT MUNY, ON THE OTHER HAND, SIMPLY SEEKS EQUAL RIGHTS UNR THE LAW. THEY WANT TO BE JUDGED ON THEIR WORK, NOT FIRED FOR THEIR SEXUAL ORIENTATN.WHO WILL W? WELL, IF OUR HISTORY OF EVOLVG ON ISSU OF RACE AND RELIGN IS ANY GUI, THE LGBT MUNY WILL PREVAIL. IT WILL TAKE TIME AND EFFORT, BUT I PREDICT NFINTLY THEY WILL OVERE, AND THAT’S A GOOD THG FOR OUR NATN. DEAN OBEIDALLAH

Privileged gays like me need to stand together wh others beg targeted by the people now targetg : Trans populatns first and foremost, but anyone the MAGA crowd se as not Amerin enough. Activists who long cried gay rights, often assailg them as a threat to nservative fay valu and procreatn, said they’ve found new alli, particularly their efforts to lim medil re and athletic opportuni for transgenr youth.

WHY DO REPUBLINS HATE GAY PEOPLE

In the 1970s, Christian sger and anti-gay activist Ana Bryant lnched the “Save Our Children” mpaign to fight back agast a lol Da County, Florida, ordance that banned discrimatn based on sexual orientatn hog and employment. A rash of laws ncerng the teachg of human sexualy school curricula, banng trans stunt athlet and strippg parents of the right to help their genr-variant children obta appropriate re have popped up numero red stat this same-sex marriage is now part of the fabric of Ameri, nservativ have chosen to explo Amerins’ unfaiary wh trans people and piggyback on parental anger over the perceived overreach of Covid-era school closur, nflatg wh an sid sense of “wokens”, the hop of fdg an electorally viable sluiceway for anti-LGBTQ+ most famo of the anti-LGBTQ+ laws is the piece of Florida legislatn banng stctn on sexual orientatn or genr inty schools between krgarten and third gra, the so-lled “don’t say gay” law. The ernor and his supporters have labeled as a “groomer” anyone who believ children n learn LGBTQ+ people exist, argug that simply by talkg about gay relatnships to a child, you are sexualizg that child.

WHY IS THE CHRISTIAN RIGHT BRGG BACK ANTI-GAY TALKG POTS?

He was followed by Arizona’s ernor, Doug Ducey, who, after barrg mors om genr-affirmatn treatment, wouldn’t even state for the rerd that trans people were Florida lawmaker Michele Rayner-Goolsby, left, hugs her wife, Bian Goolsby, durg a march at cy hall St Petersburg agast the ‘don’t say gay’ bill. Photograph: Bob Daemmrich/Zuma Wire/Rex/ShutterstockPolicians are supported the media by mentators like Tucker Carlson, who claimed “no one had heard of this trans thg four years ago”, or Charlie Kirk, channelg 1980s fears sayg “gays want to rpt your children” rejuvenated, the right wg is poised to make transphobia and homophobia rnerston of the midterms and 2024 electns, wh promis to liver “don’t say gay” legislatn stat cludg Michigan and New Perks, the print of the Fay Rearch Council, a nservative lobbyg group, veighed agast the ernors of Indiana and Utah for vetog legislatn banng trans women om participatg sports, llg the bills “timely, mastream protectns”. The Republin US reprentative Marjorie Taylor Greene vowed to troduce a feral “don’t say gay” bill if Republins w the Hoe this November, only to one-up herself days later by tweetg that for people to be pro-trans is to be pro-pedophilia.

WHY I’M A GAY REPUBLIN

”The bs-iendly wg of the GOP that would quietly team up wh Democrats to scuttle rabidly homophobic bills is now outnumbered, and legislators a dozen or more stat that lean even farther to the right than DeSantis are takg, the Natnal Center for Lbian Rights legal director, believ Florida is the tt se for a renewed ph for an aggrsive, Christian-natnalist program.