Mediaboss Marketing

Leigh Finke, Opinion contributor Published 5:00 a.m. ET Sept. 14, 2020 | Updated 10:42 a.m. ET Sept. 14, 2020

LGBTQ rights have come a long way in the U.S. But the community still faces threats in the form of legalization, discrimination and even violence. USA TODAY

Making a 2020 wedge issue out of transgender lives ignores the real lesson of 2004: Republicans cant stop human empathy, no matter how hard they try.

At this very moment, there is a man sitting in a room deploying a strategy to re-elect the current president based on the belief that it is unacceptable for me, a transgender woman in middle America, to exist. According to this man, the extension of basic human rights to transgender people specifically transgender children and youth is so self-evidently repugnant, that posing the question of our humanity will swing voters away from Joe Biden and towards Donald Trump.

This isnt hyperbole or conjecture. This mans name is Terry Schilling. He runs the American Principles Project in Virginia. Hes already been profiled in a Politico feature that centers on this very strategy. Schilling, the piece reports, is in the process of rolling out a campaign, starting in Michigan, targeting Biden and Democrats for supporting transgender youth.

Schilling and his supporters want to make transgender rights a kitchen table issue in this election. He believes that opposition to transgender rights for young people should define the Republican Party going forward.

We heard Cissie Graham Lynchdeploy this strategy at the Republican National Convention. Graham Lynch misgendered transgender students, falsely claimed that Democrats pressured schools to change their policiesand argued that trans youth were a risk to schools and students, despite no evidence to support such a claim.

This is very scary, Ill admit. As Schilling moves forward with his national strategy, voters are going to hear a lot of anti-transgender messages that are harmful, cruel, and just factually inaccurate.

The facts on transgender youth are known and accepted by medical and psychological experts: Gender affirming health carefor transgender and non-binary youth saves lives. Full stop. Familial acceptanceand transitional health careare the foundational building blocks of a happy and fulfilling future. Transgender affirming care harms no one. It saves lives. These are not opinions. These are facts.

Leigh Finke on April 16, 2020.(Photo: Family photo)

Also true: transgender people, especially transgender women and girls of color, are among the most vulnerablepopulations in the United States. The countryhas lost at least 28 transgender people (that we know about) to violence so far this year already surpassing last year's horrific record of violence.The Trump administration has spent the last four years weaponizing the departments ofDefense, Health and Human Services, Housing and Educationagainst transgender people seeking to serve their country, requesting health care and a safe place to sleep and go to school.

LGBTQ+ leaders: Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are the most pro-equality ticket in US history

Politically exploiting transgender youth for electoral purposes makes it more dangerous to be transgender. Ad campaigns designed to demonize usencourage violenceand puts transgender lives at greater risk. Unfortunately, there are many people in this nation (like, our president and his family) that appear more than willing to make us casualties in their war for more power.

Culture war fights based on LGBTQ+ rights are not new in a presidential campaign, of course. It does feel like the stakes this time seem higher than ever (I am trans, after all), but campaigns based on weaponizing the fear of queer people have a pretty recent history, and we can all learn from that history as we embark on the next twovery awful months.

In 2004, PresidentGeorge W. Bush narrowly defeated Sen.John Kerry in part by embracing a strategy of fear-mongering about the dire consequences of marriage equality. Bushcalled for a constitutional amendment to ban same sex marriage, and conservatives in 13 states put such bans on their November ballots.

The idea was to help boost turnout by so-called family values voters. And it worked. Sort of.

All 13 ballot initiatives passed, its true. And Bush did squeak out another term. But ask yourself: Was that second term for George Bush really worth it? Are the voters who were persuaded by the threat of marriage equality better off because of the failed leadership of the Bush administration and all the calamitous results he brought us, including the worst economic recession since the Great Depression?Oh, and before you answer, dont forget Republicans actually lost that culture war a decade later when marriage was legalized nationwideand none those dire consequences actually happened.

More: Don't let Trump hide brutal LGBTQ record behind 'religious freedom' rhetoric in 2020 race

The anti-campaign we are seeing is making the same bet in 2020. Terry Schilling and his ilk are using the same scare tactics to exploit vulnerable lives in an attempt to re-elect I cant believe I have to write this another failed president who led us into the new worst recession since the Great Depression.

Making a wedge issue out of our lives ignores the real lesson of 2004, which is that the Republican Party cant stop human empathy, no matter how hard they try. In 2004, 31% of Americans supported marriage equality, and their culture war campaign worked. Today, only 31% of Americans oppose marriage equality. It is the majority opinion in the United Statesthat the Republican Party was wrong in 2004. Transgender rights are following in the wake of the marriage equality fight. No matter how hard you wedge us into your campaign, youre wrong, and whether its this year, or next, Americans will realize it.

Campaigning against the rights of transgender people especially transgender children and youth should be seen for what it is: hateful, bigoted, and wrong. Dont fall for it.

Leigh Finke is an author and filmmaker from Saint Paul, Minnesota. Her book, "Queerfully and Wonderfully Made: A Guide for LGBTQ+ Christians," came out August 25. Follow her on Twitter:@leighfinke

Autoplay

Show Thumbnails

Show Captions

Read or Share this story: https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2020/09/14/lgbtq-rights-republicans-repeat-past-election-failures-column/5763656002/

View post:
Transgender scare tactics are back on the Republican agenda. Here's why they won't work. - USA TODAY