Attacks on queer & trans rights are a dire sign for democracy

Pride Month this year holds special importance for the LGBTQ+ community as we confront a wave of extremist bills across the country aimed to remove us, especially our trans siblings, from public life. These attacks on queer and trans rights are a dire sign for our democracy and are inextricably linked to the ongoing attacks on our freedom to vote.

This year alone, we have seen 491 bills targeting LGBTQ+ rights in addition to 150 bills targeting voting rights. 

Related:

Why one Maryland senator fought to repeal his state’s anti-sodomy law

“We shouldn’t be making judgments on how people love each other.”

LGBTQ+ rights are human rights and workers’ rights, and attacks on our community are meant to make us invisible and remove us from society. LGBTQ+ teachers represented by the American Federation of Teachers and National Education Association are being driven out of their profession by “Don’t Say Gay bills’ that make it impossible for them to do their jobs.

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Anti-drag laws, like the Tennessee law that was just overturned by a federal judge, create complicated legal obstacles for drag performers that tour the country, including those who are part of the Actors’ Equity Association.

Bathroom bills threaten the human rights of trans workers to safely and comfortably exist in public. 

Not only are these bills bad for human and worker rights, but they are also detrimental to our democracy. Moreover, this wave of legislation is not being driven by public will. Poll after poll has shown that most Americans support queer and trans rights and view the number of anti-LGBTQ+ bills as political theater and a distraction.

State legislators are appealing to only the most extremist part of their base and secret money front-groups that have funded anti-trans attack ads, lobbied against the Equality Act, and funded extremist school board candidates. Current disclosure loopholes allow corporations and billionaires to fund these candidates and positions with no transparency or accountability.

Research from the UCLA School of Law demonstrates that LGBTQ+ inclusive laws are strongly associated with democracy, and autocracies have been shown to be less inclusive regardless of public support for LGBTQ+ rights. This wave of anti-queer and trans legislation is a dangerous sign of democratic backsliding.

Nowhere can this be seen more clearly than in the Montana State House, which voted along party lines to censure out transgender state Rep. Zooey Zephyr, the first time that mechanism has been used in recent Montana history. They kicked her out of the chamber she was elected to serve in for nothing more than voicing her opposition to dangerous legislation that would deny her transgender constituents representation in matters that impact them.

This anti-democratic action was used to push through legislation banning age-appropriate healthcare for trans minors, despite robust consensus from the medical field that gender-affirming care is safe and improves the overall well-being of transgender people.

The health of our democracy and LGBTQ+ equality go hand in hand, and in order to secure our freedoms, we need a democracy that truly serves and represents all of us. Congress has the power to pass the Freedom to Vote Act and restore the Voting Rights Act, which would help to ensure our freedom to vote is protected, end partisan gerrymandering that dilutes our voices and empowers extremists, and require disclosure of political spending so we can know who is funding the attacks on our communities and hold them accountable. 

Our country is strong only when the human rights of our most marginalized citizens are protected. As we reflect on Pride Month and the dangers facing our community from extremist factions, it’s imperative that we work to safeguard our democracy so our voice – and our freedoms – can continue to flourish.

Jerame Davis is the executive director of Pride at Work.