064 The Erickson Report for October 27 to November 10, Page 2: Footnote

064 The Erickson Report for October 27 to November 10, Page 2: Footnote

There actually is one more reason beyond present-day gain why trans folks, particularly trans youth, are the current target of choice for the bigots and fear mongers: long-term loss.

In 2019, according to a report from the Public Religion Research Institute, more than six in ten Americans said they had become more supportive toward transgender rights compared to their views five years before. An increase in tolerance was found across all age ranges, all religious groups surveyed, and almost all political groupings, with only conservative GOPpers saying otherwise.

Note that doesn't mean that majorities were supportive of those rights, but that the trend was clearly in that direction: Support was clearly increasing. And there is good reason think that as public awareness of (and therefore more familiarity with) trans people has grown, that trend has continued.

Now consider that back in the 2004 fall election there was a whole spate of state constitutional amendments enacted to ban same-sex marriage. It was the same situation: Support for same-sex marriage was increasing, in fact had become legal in Massachusetts, and the reactionaries wanted to block progress.

Same as it ever was: On transgender rights, the reactionaries are losing. They know they are. They know that at some point the train of history is going to run them over and they are, as William Buckley famously said, "standing athwart history, yelling 'Stop!'"

In the case of same-sex marriage, it was another 11 years, but they failed, even as they still fight rear-guard actions against it - like the baker who, the court said, can refuse to make a cake for a same-sex couple because, you know, God 'n' stuff.

Even so, even as they can win a few legal victories, they have lost in the court of public perception. And in the long run they will fail with regard to trans folks, too. Keep hope alive.