At least 20 states have recently implemented laws limiting the rights of transgender Americans. Many of these laws are aimed at youth. How and why did the obsessed culture warriors on the religious right build up their latest imaginary enemy that’s supposedly threatening the nation? It started with their increasingly ineffective attacks on gay people. What do you do when punching down at one victim doesn’t work? You find another victim, preferably more marginalized, more easily demonized, and more likely to exacerbate the communal psychosexual, genital-fixated, mind infection you’ve been envenoming for decades. NYT: (Gift Article): How a Campaign Against Transgender Rights Mobilized Conservatives. “The effort started with a smattering of Republican lawmakers advancing legislation focused on transgender girls’ participation in school sports. And it was accelerated by a few influential Republican governors who seized on the issue early. But it was also the result of careful planning by national conservative organizations to harness the emotion around gender politics. With gender norms shifting and a sharp rise in the number of young people identifying as transgender, conservative groups spotted an opening in a debate that was gaining attention.”

+ “What was said in private emails just a few years ago is now said publicly—online, in the media, and on the floors of state houses around the country.” Leaked Emails Reveal Just How Powerful the Anti-Trans Movement Has Become.