While actual war rages in Ukraine, much to the horror of those who have empathy for their fellow humans and/or have studied even a modicum of history, the American culture war is in full swing, and like any war it has serious implications that can mean life and death for those caught in its battlefields.
In truth, the culture war has been waging for decades, though relatively recent victories may have given us the impression that it was a thing of the past. For example, remember how, in 2015, after we got marriage equality in the US some people began saying that the fight for gay rights was “over”, and that “we won”? Adorable, I know. But that, of course, was pre-pandemic. Welcome to the apocalypse, slow as it seems to be.
In the United States, there is currently a singular front on which this culture war is being waged, a unifying message that effectively addresses the concerns of the conservative-minded and perhaps even some of those who would like to think of themselves as “progressive.”
This message is not about climate change, or the pandemic, or the economy. It’s not about the infrastructure, or even about health care or student loans. It’s about discomfort. And it’s tactic? The demonization of the other.
In short, it’s the same boring (yet effective) tactic that has been used by the ruling classes against disempowered minorities since the invention of church and state.
A lot of attention has been given recently to the state of Florida and its “Parental Rights in Education” bill, signed into law on March 28 by Republican Governor Ron DeSantis. Dubbed by opponents as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, this piece of legislation specifically prohibits teachers to discuss –or to allow discussion– in kindergarten through grade 3 classrooms, on the topics of sexual orientation or gender identities. Read the relevant passage here:
“Classroom instruction by school personnel or third parties on sexual orientation or gender identity may not occur in kindergarten through grade 3 or in a manner that is not age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students in accordance with state standards.”1
On the surface, this might appear to make sense. Of course we don’t want children as young as five and six years old to be taught the specifics of sexuality without a parent’s consent. But that’s not happening in our classrooms. It has never actually been an issue, and this is not really what this bill is about, or what it will do.
The repercussions of forbidding teachers and third parties from discussing these issues goes far beyond “protecting our children.” In fact, it brings harm, especially to queer children and teachers who will now be forced into closets – not because they “can’t talk about sex” but because even discussing how Jimmy has two mommies will be forbidden, or that Suzie’s uncle is married to another man. Those discussions will also be banned, despite the assurances of the bill’s proponents that they will not, leaving queer children lost in a void.
While heterosexual relationships are always on full display and considered “wholesome” and “appropriate” by the conservative mind, everything “other” is determined as “less than” at best, and “demonic” at worst. Johnny loves his mommy and daddy? Adorable. Jimmy loves his two dads? Disgusting and sexually inappropriate.
If more of these anti-queer bills pass then books like this will likely be considered inappropriate for children and removed from schools as even discussion of different types of families will be banned. [Candlewick]
In case we want to pretend that the demonization of queer people is not the point of this bill, just listen to the language (and accusations) of those who support it. It can be summed up in just one word: “Groomers.”
DeSantis Press Secretary Christina Pushaw made their position on this quite clear when she tweeted:
The American Principles Project, one of the organizations promoting this latest wave of hate legislation used the word “groomed” in a recent fundraiser ad:
“The Left wants to sexualize YOUR CHILDREN—even in the classroom. Thankfully, Governor DeSantis passed legislation to protect children from being groomed and sexualized by the Left. However, this means only children in FLORIDA are safe—there are still 49 STATES where this kind of abuse is still legal.”2
Image from the American Principles Project website. Captured 4/10/22.
Besides being devoid of any level of truth, it’s an effective tactic: Demonize your opponent by characterizing them as being dangerous. Bonus points if that danger is being specifically directed at children. Those who oppose this recent legislation are now being regularly accused by conservatives as being pro-pedophilia, grooming children to satisfy their sexual appetites. It’s a page right out of QAnon conspiracy craziness but while in modern times it has mostly lived on the fringe, now it is front and center. While this is to be expected from a certain segment of the conservative, knuckle-dragging, anti-equality crowd, it becomes a serious concern when that sort of rhetoric is expressed by members of Congress and even more so when enshrined into law.
It’s also an old tactic. As a gay person growing up in the 70s and 80s I was quite aware that many perceived gayness as being synonymous with being a pedophile, despite the mountain of evidence to the contrary. Though it is far more likely for a heterosexual man to be a pedophile, the accusation is mostly directed at queer men, and most recently against trans people, specifically. On a personal and related note, just last week I was accused of being a “groomer” by someone on Instagram because I had the audacity of saying that trans women are women. That’s all it takes now to be labeled a threat to children by the conservative machine: an accepting attitude about people who are different than ourselves.
Besides being outrageous, it’s also dangerous. This kind of rhetoric can inspire violence. When politicians indiscriminately label entire groups of people as being “pro-pedophile” it sends a message to the weak-willed and hate-filled that these groups are fair game. When former President Trump spoke out against immigrants and cast aspersions about China in relation to coronavirus, we saw hate crimes in those demographics spike. Words matter, especially from those who are in power.
This hateful tactic is so much older than what we have experienced in recent generations. Society periodically brings these same accusations to the doorsteps of every group they wish to demonize and destroy. Consider that once it was common to accuse both Witches and Jews of “eating babies”, grooming is just the modern-day equivalent, and queer people just another group of victims to add to the pyre. It’s origins are in anti-Semitism, making it almost surprising that they don’t accuse us all of having horns, too.
While it is sometimes funny to characterize Florida as another dimension (and certainly a good number of “Florida man” headlines might give that impression) the bigotry hasn’t stopped there. Currently there is similar legislation pending in a dozen states at the time of this writing. The hatred is spreading, and in America, hatred –especially of minority groups– is a documented conservative value.
Consider that the other issue so passionately being fought-against by conservatives right now is Critical Race Theory. In short, CRT aims at exploring how U.S. laws have been shaped by racism, and how white people are the benefactors of a system that is inherently racist. It’s not new, being decades-old and is taught at the graduate-level. Recently, Republicans have co-opted the term to include a wide swath of anti-racism initiatives they oppose and have given false narrative that CRT is being taught to grade-schoolers.
The majority of states have now either passed or are considering legislation that would ban the discussion of CRT (as defined by Republican politicians) in classrooms. Tennessee recently banned CRT in grades K-12 along with other “divisive concepts” that can make some people “feel uncomfortable”.
Those in support of these bills assert that anti-racist programs enacted in schools adversely affect white students, instilling in them a sense of guilt, as well as promote the idea that students of color are victims. Some among them go further, equating anti-racism initiatives with “leftist indoctrination.”
As if this weren’t enough, women’s rights too are in the Republican crosshairs. With some of the most restrictive anti-abortion laws being enacted (and more on the way) we are given a grim look at the future conservatives want. Just this month in Texas, a woman was arrested and charged with murder for what law enforcement called, “the death of an individual by self-induced abortion.” The implications are chilling, and that the Texas DA just recently dropped the murder charge in what quickly became a high-profile case, we should not turn away as this is only the beginning.
The party once hailed for smaller government, really just wants far reaching governmental powers to control your body, your sexuality, your gender, and your perception of racism. You know: business as usual.
These laws have no place in a secular society. They stem from religious intolerance rooted in Evangelical Christian extremism and bigotry. And as such, those who identify as Pagan should also take note, as we have historically been included on the list of “undesirables” who are inevitably targeted and persecuted.
With so many conversative bills being pushed that effectively make invisible the lives and plights of queer people and people of color, it makes quite clear the message and platform of the conservative political machine: Once again it’s straight, white, cisgender men who wish to dominate the discourse. Women, queer folk, and people of color, as well as adherents of minority religions, need to stand together to make our voices heard. Now is the time to focus on our collective goals and put petty infighting aside for the greater good. We stand at a crossroads of history. We should make sure that we stand for something we are proud of.
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