padraig (u.s.)
a monkey that will go ape
certainly deserves its own thread
there are so many pieces of proposed state legislation - 97 was the last count I saw - to ban gender-affirming care for minors (and not just minors, as some proposed laws extend the age past 18), ban trans kids from playing sports, and outlaw drag performances, that it's almost impossible to keep up with them
these Republican lawmakers didn't give any kind of a fuck about drag queens or trans kids before 2022 or so, and still don't, beyond the political capital they can squeeze out of persecuting them
it's such a blatant attempt to dog whistle the GOP base ahead of 2024 (and beyond) that it would make you laugh if it wasn't for its abject cruelty and the inevitable human wreckage it will leave in its wake
tho tbf it's not only about stirring up the base, it's also a continuation of attempt to police queer bodies and queer sexuality that American legislators (and tbc, Democrats are historically fallible there as well, if not more recently) have been engaged with essentially since the moment they acknowledged the existence of queer people at all
watching it unfold at the slow pace of the legislative process adds an extra layer of horror, like a slow motion car crash that you're unable to stop
actual links and data to follow at some future point but feel free to add your own
there are so many pieces of proposed state legislation - 97 was the last count I saw - to ban gender-affirming care for minors (and not just minors, as some proposed laws extend the age past 18), ban trans kids from playing sports, and outlaw drag performances, that it's almost impossible to keep up with them
these Republican lawmakers didn't give any kind of a fuck about drag queens or trans kids before 2022 or so, and still don't, beyond the political capital they can squeeze out of persecuting them
it's such a blatant attempt to dog whistle the GOP base ahead of 2024 (and beyond) that it would make you laugh if it wasn't for its abject cruelty and the inevitable human wreckage it will leave in its wake
tho tbf it's not only about stirring up the base, it's also a continuation of attempt to police queer bodies and queer sexuality that American legislators (and tbc, Democrats are historically fallible there as well, if not more recently) have been engaged with essentially since the moment they acknowledged the existence of queer people at all
watching it unfold at the slow pace of the legislative process adds an extra layer of horror, like a slow motion car crash that you're unable to stop
actual links and data to follow at some future point but feel free to add your own