While there’s been quite a bit of digital ink spilled about Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ decision to assist in the prosecution of a man charged with murdering a transgender teenager last year, his motivations haven’t been clear.
While Sessions said in June that he would “protect the rights of all transgender people,” under his leadership, the Justice Department has argued that employers should be able to fire people for being gay, as well as for being transgender. It has also rolled back protections for transgender students, and is giving cover to those who wish to discriminate against the LGBTQ community, so long as they use their religious beliefs as the stated reason.
Sessions’ previous history has caused LGBTQ organizations to claim his intervention is simply a publicity stunt to burnish his image as a civil rights protector.
“[I]t is the height of cynicism for Attorney General Jeff Sessions to use this – frankly rare – instance of civil rights enforcement under his tenure to deflect from the current department’s sustained opposition to its historic mission,” Lambda Legal said in an emailed statement. “No one in the Trump administration has done more to harm LGBT people, and especially transgender people, than Jeff Sessions – and in a government chock full of anti-LGBT appointees, that is saying a lot.’
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“For Sessions now to seek credit for helping prosecute hate crimes against transgender people is akin to him handing out gasoline and matches and then looking for a pat on the back when he prosecutes someone for committing arson.”
Buzzfeed reporter Dominic Holden, however, has a different view of why Sessions is inserting himself into the case. Holden’s extended Twitter clapback to the uproar is the most credible explanation yet and worthy of serious attention.
Sessions doesn’t care about LGBTQ civil rights, he explains. Instead, he lays out the case that Sessions is adamant about prosecuting violent crimes and he’ll use every tool at his disposal to send people to prison – including the hate crimes law he voted against as a Senator.
This NYT story claims Jeff Sessions "defies his image on civil rights” by going after anti-transgender hate crime 1/ https://t.co/hFbQilFKmW pic.twitter.com/CQKEUEJ1eC
— Dominic Holden (@dominicholden) October 16, 2017
Likewise, his stance against LGBT civil-rights protections is unchanged.
— Dominic Holden (@dominicholden) October 16, 2017
So let's get this out of the way: Sessions has crusaded to weaken civil-rights protections for LGBT people. A few recent hits:
— Dominic Holden (@dominicholden) October 16, 2017
He argued at the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals that gay workers are also not protected by Title VII. https://t.co/Oa7Ibrw13h
— Dominic Holden (@dominicholden) October 16, 2017
He reversed a policy that said Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 protects transgender students. https://t.co/aWF4EDl5hc
— Dominic Holden (@dominicholden) October 16, 2017
He issued religious freedom guidance, taking advice from ADF, a group that wants to eliminate LGBT civil rights laws https://t.co/GaJURhcjbg
— Dominic Holden (@dominicholden) October 16, 2017
But Sessions loves to throw the book at violent criminals in general. And that includes using power given to him by hate crimes laws.
— Dominic Holden (@dominicholden) October 16, 2017
People were surprised when Sessions called white supremacists in Charlottesville "bigots" and started a "civil rights investigation."
— Dominic Holden (@dominicholden) October 16, 2017
As I wrote at the time, Sessions likes to expand police power and punish criminals using every weapon he’s got. https://t.co/JbNGgC6tji pic.twitter.com/lUGvW4KYmD
— Dominic Holden (@dominicholden) October 16, 2017
This case in Iowa isn't 1st time he’s used anti-LGBT hate crime law. Here's case involving gay men targeted in Texas https://t.co/p06hrOIknn
— Dominic Holden (@dominicholden) October 16, 2017
BTW — Here's how Sessions explained his opposition to the hate-crimes law during confirmation hearings: https://t.co/B26VmHfK88
— Dominic Holden (@dominicholden) October 16, 2017
So in this way, Sessions’ position is consistent & doesn't defy anything: violent prosecution different from nondiscrimination protections.
— Dominic Holden (@dominicholden) October 16, 2017
Sessions doesn't wants transgender women to get hurt — but his policies say they should use the men's restroom, where they risk assault.
— Dominic Holden (@dominicholden) October 16, 2017
Interesting & important thread. Thank you @dominicholden for putting this together: https://t.co/norpXx1UGM
— Chelsea Clinton (@ChelseaClinton) October 18, 2017