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

opposition to gay

Introductn and Summary Opposn to gay marriage has creased sce the summer and a narrow majory of Amerins also oppose allowg gays and

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GROUPS OPPOSED TO GAY RIGHTS RAKE LNS AS STAT BATE ANTI-LGBTQ BILLS

In today’s heightened culture war, the ffers of the anti-gay movement are overflowg. * opposition to gay *

The multiln-dollar war cht has bolstered a movement that jt a few years ago appeared to be losg ground Ameri’s slong culture war around lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr and queer rights. “Many of those, while not specifilly tied to a church, are rooted the nservative Christian, biblil sense of human sexualy, ” said Stt McCoy, the terim puty legal director for LGBTQ rights and special ligatn for the SPLC and the SPLC Actn Fund, the group’s polil actn simply holdg a relig belief that views homosexualy or transgenr inty as sful do not tomatilly land a church or an anizatn on the SPLC’s list of hate groups.

'The hard re of the anti-gay movement' When the SPLC began trackg anti-LGBTQ hate the early 2010s, the anizatn noted that “a small terie of groups now prise the hard re of the anti-gay movement. C., that, acrdg to s webse, believ “homosexual nduct is harmful to the persons who engage ” and “is also harmful to society at large” — jumped om over $12 ln to more than $23 ln.

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

A slew of bills are rollg back recently won eedoms for gay people. Is Ameri ready to fight for LGBTQ+ rights all over aga? * opposition to gay *

“The groups that are opposed to LGBTQ equaly did their msage ttg and found that attackg gay people is no longer the broadly popular culture war totem that they ed the ’90s, ” Gberg said. 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.

”To be gay, their view, is to be herently sexualized, a threat to nocence a way that straight Amerins are vehemence has ught even veteran LGBTQ+ advot by surprise. 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. ”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. ”The “don’t say gay” bill, Mter not, is very siar to what’s been passed Rsia, tetherg Amerin nservativ to their thorarian unterparts who have succsfully rolled back mocratic norms across eastern Europe.

WHY I DO NOT CELEBRATE GAY PRI

Why shouldn’t all of celebrate gay (or, LGBT) pri? For me, there are three major reasons, and none of them have anythg to do wh hatred or fear... * opposition to gay *

“I’ve seen this movie before over the last 30 years: The right wg cid to target the LGBTQ muny, whether ’s around marriage or adoptn or trans kids playg sports or bathrooms, ” says the California state senator Stt Wiener, who is gay.

ADAMS IS CHALLENGED OVER HIS HIRG OF 3 GAY MARRIAGE FO

Opposn to gay marriage has creased sce the summer and a narrow majory of Amerins also oppose allowg gays and lbians to enter legal * opposition to gay *

“I thought was really important to ph back on the policy level, and to send a clear signal that California and other stat really re about the kids, ” he believ that “don’t say gay” is “patently unnstutnal” but also ntends that relyg on the judicial system to protect human rights may no longer be a sound optn. Ron DeSantis signed a so-lled “Don’t Say Gay or Trans” law, rtrictg rmatn about LGBTQ people that state’s public schools and leavg LGBTQ young people fear for their safety. Anti-LGBTQ groups primarily nsist of Christian Right groups but also clu such anizatns as the Natnal Associatn for Rearch and Therapy of Homosexualy (NARTH) that purport to be scientific.

LGBTQ+ issu are shapg the printial race, as some ndidat have repeatedly sought to emphasize their ristance to transgenr athlet petg women’s sports, stunts learng about sexual orientatn and genr inty schools, and drag tactics are part of a broar upheaval which GOP-led state legislatur have moved to pass a rerd surge of rtrictns on gay and transgenr rights and stor such as Target and Walmart have faced cricism om some on the right over their attacks also ci wh signs of a shift public opn, wh opposn to LGBTQ+ rights risg aga, pecially among Republins, pollg shows. ” And the Log Cab Republins late Friday cricized a jt-released DeSantis mpaign vio attackg his rival Donald Tmp’s past exprsns of support for LBGTQ+ people, argug DeSantis had “ventured to homophobic terrory.

Acceptance of transgenr Amerins is lower than of people who are gay, lbian or bisexual, but for all, there’s a wi gap between Republins, pennts and Democrats, public pollg shows. ” DeSantis also fend the state law he signed that has led to the ncellatn of some Pri Month ftivi Florida ernor kicked off his printial mpaign last month om an Iowa church lled Eterny where the pastor, who spoke at the event, preach that homosexualy is a s and has been a vol cric of Pri. A I unrstand their all, no matter how Christian I claim to be, if I tell a gay uple I do not believe they are tly married God’s sight, that feels like hatred to I tell a woman who intifi as a man that I still believe she is a woman, that feels like hatred to their perspective, I n unrstand how unchristian my posn seems, how bigoted, how biased, how all, they would be quick to pot out, there are gay parents who are more voted to their kids than some straight are transgenr men and women who are kd, gentle, rg are people all across the LGBT spectm who help the poor, who re for the opprsed, who love the lovels, who are outstandg boss or employe or iends or shouldn’t all of celebrate gay (or, LGBT) pri?

*BEAR-MAGAZINE.COM* OPPOSITION TO GAY

Groups opposed to gay rights rake lns as stat bate anti-LGBTQ bills .

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