{"id":13622,"date":"2025-01-23T22:41:14","date_gmt":"2025-01-24T03:41:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tempestmag.org\/?p=13622"},"modified":"2025-01-29T20:33:27","modified_gmt":"2025-01-30T01:33:27","slug":"trump-the-right-and-the-broader-anti-trans-reaction","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tempestmag.org\/test02\/2025\/01\/trump-the-right-and-the-broader-anti-trans-reaction\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump, the right, and the broader anti-trans reaction"},"content":{"rendered":"

I<\/span>n the wake of Donald Trump\u2019s recent electoral victory, some Democratic pundits and party elites appear eager to distance themselves from the issue of transgender rights, while others have withdrawn their support for these rights altogether. Following the election, Tom Suozzi, a congressperson from New York’s third district, and Seth Moulton<\/span><\/a>, a congressperson from Massachusetts’s sixth district, spoke with the <\/span>New York Times<\/span><\/a> about the party\u2019s appeal among moderate and independent voters. Suozzi cautioned Democrats against \u201cpandering to the far left,\u201d arguing that the party should oppose the idea that \u201cbiological boys should be playing in girls\u2019 sports.\u201d Moulton, more selective in his language, stated, \u201cI have two little girls; I don\u2019t want them getting run over on a playing field by a male or formerly male athlete, but as a Democrat, I\u2019m supposed to be afraid to say that.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Suozzi and Moulton are not alone in their calls for the party to distance itself from transgender rights. Writing for <\/span>The Nation<\/span><\/i>, <\/span>Sydney Bauer<\/span><\/a> documents several party affiliates who are coming to similar conclusions, and both Democrats and Republicans supported the recent National Defense Authorization Act, despite what LGBTQ rights advocates identify as an anti-trans healthcare provision (Sec 708) targeting the children of military service members. Even trans political leaders have shown an unwillingness to defend trans rights. In response to a resolution banning trans people from the use of sex-segregated facilities on Capitol Hill, incoming congressperson <\/span>Sarah McBride,<\/span><\/a> the first openly trans person to serve in Congress has said she intends to \u201cfollow the rules as outlined by Speaker Johnson, even if [she] disagree[s] with them.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

As many on the <\/span>Left have noted<\/span><\/a>, the Democratic Party is a fair-weather friend, offering support for trans rights only when the political winds allow. However, calls for political independence without an analysis of the right\u2019s anti-trans appeals do little to seed the ground for that independence. It is evident that Trump and the MAGAtized Republican Party have taken advantage of voters\u2019 anxieties and created a sense of panic surrounding transgender issues. However, what remains less clear are the reasons why these appeals resonate with certain voters, what drives this particular political reaction, and how the Left can effectively respond.<\/span><\/p>\n