Matthew Sheffield🧵 The origins of "transgenderism" and "gender ideology."
Almost every single piece of rhetoric used by Christianist activists against #trans people was used previously against lesbians and gays.
They don't want you to know this....
Before the fight for same-sex marriage, advocates had to overcome unscientific prejudice against homosexuality, which was classified as a mental illness.
Christianist activists played into this, claiming that no one was bi, gay or lesbian. Instead, they "had a homosexuality."
An entire organization was created called the National Association for Research & Therapy of Homosexuality which was a front group for religious bigots to launder their doctrine through the language of psychology.
Christianists totally lost this battle so they do not use this language any more.
They still believe it though and they continue trying to keep their abusive "conversion therapy" programs, aka suicide factories, legal.
The No. 1 thing to understand about Christianists is that they never tell you what they actually think.
The leaders of these groups literally believe that everyone who is LGBT is under the influence or control of Satan.
But they know this comes off as insane to normal people.
The vast majority of people don't hold such superstitions, but they might be susceptible to the idea that being trans is contagious, just like many believed earlier about homosexuality and lies about "recruitment."
Having failed to make convincing scientific arguments, the Christian Right made up a fake argument to rail against: "transgenderism."
It's a complete lie, since there are many #trans people who are Republican. Being trans is not an inherently political act.
But by pretending it is, the far right can equate trans rights to communism or religion, making it much easier to isolate trans people, including within LGB communities.
DLS2023They can also make remarks that incite violence while also having a shred of plausible deniability.
It's deceitful of course, but dishonesty and double speak is their entire modus operandi.
Just as "eradicating Judaism" means eradicating Jews, so does "eradicating transgenderism" mean eradicating trans people.
Their vision is no different from Iran where homosexuality is illegal and people are forced to have sex reassignment surgery.
Christianists dare not say what they actually want because to do so would imperil their ability to deceive the uninformed about the bugaboo of "gender ideology."
When you can convince people to believe a radical, world destroying force is at work, anything is permissible.
This is how they keep the dupes in line, by making them think that the real extremists are people trying to live their lives.
Millions have fallen for this deception, sadly.
This is what the Christian right wants but never says:
❌ Criminalization of homosexuality
❌ Criminalization of intersexual gender affirmation
❌ Banning drag & all clothing that doesn't confirm to traditional gender norms
❌ Banning female employment
❌ Removal of religious liberty for faiths that disagree
❌ Forcing atheists and non-Christian theists into the closet along with anyone who is LGBTQ
❌ Criminalization of homosexuality
❌ Criminalization of intersexual gender affirmation
❌ Banning drag & all clothing that doesn't confirm to traditional gender norms
❌ Banning female employment
❌ Removal of religious liberty for faiths that disagree
❌ Forcing atheists and non-Christian theists into the closet along with anyone who is LGBTQ
The society depicted in "The Handmaid's Tale" isn't an exaggeration. It's a version of what their theorists aspire to.
You can read about one of their most prominent ones, RJ Rushdoony, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R._J._Rushdoony
Or watch this video of radical Christianist Nick Fuentes, who is far more popular among young right-wingers than anyone at the Daily Wire: https://www.adl.org/resources/blog/fuentes-delivers-antisemitic-christian-nationalist-rant-fellow-white-supremacists
If you'd like to know more about me, please check out my podcast: https://theoryofchange.substack.com/
/end
Another example of how the far-right has not changed its views even though it's fooled some people who don't pay attention comes from the state of Florida, where Ron Peri, is one of 5 people to a local authority Gov. Ron DeSantis has set up to stop Disney from being "woke."
Ron Peri thinks that tap water can turn people gay.
Image is from this story: https://newrepublic.com/post/170958/desantis-disney-appointee-said-tap-water-making-people-gay
Didi@mattsheffield as a bi AMAB enby that has testosterone in the high end of the range for men, let me just say: ha ha
Kay 
@mattsheffield sounds like the Taliban and some countries run according to Sharia law but with swapping out Christian
@Kay It is the same. And in fact, some far-right Christian supremacists actually invented the term "Christian sharia" to describe their desire.
Shanti's Hellbound Heart@Kay @mattsheffield they are envious of theocracies of the middle east and want their own Christian version, anywhere in the "West" will do, though they seem to have the most success in parts of the USA.
That makes it worrisome, because you know that they seek to impose it on non believers.
That makes it worrisome, because you know that they seek to impose it on non believers.
Dave Sag@mattsheffield also they seem to hate dancing.
kelleynnn@davesag @mattsheffield It's an official forbidden activity in some sects. It's too similar to sex for them.