There was a time when I believed the rights of queer and trans people were on the rise, and would continue in a neat upward trajectory, affording many people in my communities access to life-affirming and life-saving resources, healthcare, and legal protection.
Then, into the headlines crept hints of backlash.
A book banned from a library.
A drag performance drawing protests.
A parent facing legal scrutiny for seeking gender-affirming care for their child.
Steadily, it built to an all-out political attack on the rights and identities of trans people. Couched in concerns of “protection” for children and sporting events, misleading and false rhetoric effectively inflamed communities and the media. (As a friend recently quipped: “No one has ever cared this much about women’s sports,” and I’d have to agree.) Suddenly, teachers acknowledging queer people were accused of “pushing an agenda,” women’s sports were being “infiltrated,” and “parents’ rights” were at risk. A few public figures who shall not be named joined the fray with loud misinformation, harassing people they knew nothing about with false claims.
Harassment and hate crimes against queer people are on the rise. Every day, multiple times a day, I see a social media comment, yard sign, or news story reminding me that people I love are not safe. Everyone can play a role in changing this, and as we look to the future, it is imperative that we do.
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I came of age in the 2000s, a time when “Gay-Straight Alliances” had become common in high schools, but the few queer characters on TV left much to be desired, and marriage rights felt elusive. Politicians across the spectrum were still reluctant to voice their support. Memorably, a teacher in my school ripped down a poster advertising a queer event, reminding me that those people were out there. Still, queer representation was on the rise in media and politics, more insurance plans had begun to cover gender-affirming care, and things generally felt hopeful.
In 2015, the Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage. It didn’t come as a shock, but also didn’t feel to me like the most important barrier faced by queer people. However, I took the win with the relief that if I were to find a life partner, I wouldn’t need to be faced with the horror of being turned away from visiting them in the hospital in an emergency, or vice versa. (If this isn’t something you’ve personally had to contemplate, I encourage you to pause for a moment and really consider the emotional, human, and embodied reality here.)The landmark decision did in some ways feel like the moral universe bending toward justice. Since then, we’ve seen significant progress in queer representation, acceptance, and access to opportunities in many ways.
Also in recent years, we’ve faced a backlash to normalizing queer identities, safety and progress to the tune of a “Moral Panic” – a sociological term for an artificially created panic or scare. A moral panic involves demonizing specific groups or ideas (termed “folk devils”) “to serve one’s own religious, political, economic, social, cultural, and legal interests.” Throughout history, various racial and ethnic groups, religious beliefs, and queer identities have been targeted and demonized according to this playbook. So have various technologies and media, from vaccines, to critical race theory, to comic books and video games. At the center of each of these moral panics has been a vague notion that “these people” (or cartoons, or curricula, or medical advancements) are a threat to “our” safety and well being.
Queer people are no strangers to the folk devil role, and at different times, have been accused of recruiting people to homosexuality, conspiring with various nefarious actors, and intentionally spreading disease, among other outrageous and false accusations.
Human Impacts of Moral Panic
During this U.S. election cycle, there was a special type of pain in seeing my friends and loved ones (in particular, trans people and drag performers) misconstrued as a dangers to children, curriculum, faith, health–and generally, “values.”
I have queer friends and colleagues who have hurried to legally change names or gender markers, or plan a marriage this year. Trans people in my community are rushing to procure medicine they fear they may lose access to. I see a mutual understanding across these choices: our existing rights are not to be taken for granted hanging in the balance of a supreme court demonstrably willing to turn back time, and a hostile incoming administration.
84% of non-LGBTQ Americans support equal rights for queer people. Still, 55% do not understand dimensions of the LGBTQ community, and less than 30% say they know a transgender person. The first openly trans senator was elected last month, and the first openly trans attorney to argue before the supreme court did so last week. He shared, “My presence at the Supreme Court as a transgender lawyer will have been possible because I have had access to the very medical treatment at the center of the case.” One of the justices, in all seriousness, asked if there is a history of legal discrimination against trans people (“Am I missing something?”) and was apparently surprised to learn that the answer was a resounding yes.
Meanwhile, harmful and misleading narratives continue, loudly, with the aim of restricting resources, rights, spaces and support for trans people, right up to physical space in the senate itself. Many of these moral panic arguments boil down to a few narratives. The percentages above indicate that it can be challenging to respond to, interrupt or challenge narratives like these, particularly if we don’t talk about these things often or know people with these experiences personally. In support of allies at every stage in their own learning showing up in ways that are urgently needed right now, I’ll offer a few ideas for advancing conversations with productive responses to some choice narratives.
- There are exactly two distinct sexes. Advocates for transgender causes are spreading an opinion-based “agenda” of misinformation unsupported by science.
While many of us were taught at least the first half of this, it has never been accurate. In fact, it’s estimated that as many as 1 in 50 people is born with intersex traits –those that do not fit binary notions of ‘male’ and ‘female.’ Some may never know this about themselves, or only discover it after an unrelated medical treatment or procedure. Those who insist upon basing binary ideas of gender on biology are not only missing or erasing those whose gender identities exist beyond this, they are simply wrong about natural variance in sexual characteristics and how it impacts people—including many who may not identify as trans.
Sex and gender are distinct – a commonly accepted truth across current lived experiences and academic research on these topics. Clothing is fabric; makeup is paint and every last one of us is making daily choices about our gender presentation and looks that are informed by our experiences and cultures.
Perhaps most critically, a lived experience is not an agenda. Inherent to these arguments is a belief that “I understand your lived experience and needs better than you do,” — a thoroughly difficult claim to justify in any context.
- LGBTQ+ identity is “too adult” for children and youth.
There is nothing inherently adult about queer identities any more than there is straight, cisgender identities. Do (some) queer media and drag performances have adult themes? Sure. So do mainstays of straight culture like bachelor(ette) parties, romance novels, and a majority of movies and shows. Luckily, none of these spaces or media are intended for children’s consumption! If it’s adult themes we don’t want to expose children to, I think you’ll find we’re quite aligned. If, however, it’s the idea of queer people or relationships in any form, that’s a clear double standard in a culture where children are routinely exposed to the idea of straight relationships in media that doesn’t seem to be bothering anyone. (Take your pick of fairytales…)
Instead, (and despite what some may profess about not having a problem with it ‘but…’) this fearmongering betrays a belief that queer identity in itself is bad or harmful. This is plainly heterosexism and cissexism: biases or beliefs that heterosexual relationships and cisgender individuals are inherently superior to others. Truly, there is nothing dangerous about trying or choosing a different item of clothing or pronoun. What is absolutely dangerous is intentional demonization of these choices today suggesting they make a person “less than” or undeserving of respect, safety, or basic rights.
Critically, plenty of queer people experience shame, guilt, and confusion about their experiences as children and youth. Seeing oneself represented in stories, media, and education supports positive self-understanding and development. Seeing one’s identities absent, erased, or hidden often leads to avoidable emotional distress and negative self-concepts. Our queer elders who came of age when their identities were more stigmatized have already lived this and suffered. There is no reason why this must continue to harm young people today through censorship when we know and can do better.
- People can do what they want, but these topics have no place in classrooms.
Particularly when we unpack the “adult” argument to its natural heterosexist conclusions, censorship of curriculum and media seems plainly an attempt to prevent young people from engaging with these topics as a form of restricting knowledge, awareness, and acceptance of self or others under the guise of “parents’ rights.” Yet, queer people and queer representation in media are not going anywhere, and young people will encounter queer identities and concepts in their day to day lives, regardless of what is restricted in curriculum and their social circles.
As an educator, I would hope that education is presented in an age-mindful way that prepares young people of all identities for the world they will emerge into – including complex truths and tragedies, empowering narratives, and the diversity of those they will certainly encounter over the course of their lives. Restricting knowledge to one worldview, particularly in today’s world, will limit our spheres of influence, for as long as that is all we see. By contrast, teaching about the world around us in all of its nuance will set young people up for compassion, understanding and connection with others, leading to greater success in whatever it is they endeavor to accomplish. Considered this way, I should think the “choice” would be obvious for parents.
Looking Ahead
While domineering anti-queer voices may occupy online debates, disparaging signage, and media cycles, a significant majority of non-LGBTQ Americans agree that LGBTQ people should have the freedom to live their life and not be discriminated against. Of course, those driving the moral panics would have us believe otherwise…
There is power to putting a name to something. I’m grateful I had the opportunity to learn about the characteristics of moral panics and recognize their historical precedents before I was thrust into the middle of one. Not everyone has this access or insight – but each of us can play a role in helping to amplify awareness of manufactured threats used strategically for political gain, and speaking truths in their wake—or better yet, before they gain traction. In shifting times when all of us are looking to co-create futures that work better for everyone, it is imperative that we not allow bigotry to speak the loudest.
