It turns out that the bigoted ideas Donald Trump spewed out in his insane speech yesterday attacking transgender rights came from far-right commentators, most notably anti-LGBTQ+ zealot Chaya Raichik (who he met with recently).
Ari Drennen at MMFA:
Trump’s series of proposals came just days after a meeting with Chaya Raichik and Seth Dillon, the far-right figures behind the Libs of TikTok cyberbullying account, which focused heavily on attacking teachers and children’s hospitals throughout 2022. Raichik, who appears to have close ties with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, another potential 2024 candidate, has been on a recent tour of fringe media, including an appearance with Slightly Offensive host Elijah Schaffer where she said that she hoped to win “transphobe of the year” in 2023. Although anti-trans panic largely failed to resonate with voters in the 2022 midterms, Trump’s comments suggest that it will nonetheless play a key role in the 2024 Republican primary.
Former “President” and 2024 GOP candidate Donald Trump released a video today attacking gender-affirming healthcare for trans people, especially trans youths. This is part of his strategy to attack the LGBTQ+ community and their allies, realizing that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) has himbeat at harming the LGBTQ+ community and their allies and that Trump needed to score points with the far-right anti-LGBTQ+ extremist base to become the #1 anti-LGBTQ+ zealot.
Trump’s proposals to ban gender-affirming care for trans youths nationwide are part of a far-right genocidal erasure campaign against trans Americans instigated by the likes of Libs of TikTok, Matt Walsh, Gays Against Groomers, DeSantis spokespropagandist Christina Pushaw, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, anti-trans zealot Chris Elston (Billboard Chris), political detransitioner Chloe Cole, and their ilk, something his Misadministration tried to do as “President” unsuccessfully. Remember when the mainstream press unduly gave him credit as a “pro-LGBTQ+” Republican? Pepperidge Farms remembers.
In his video, Trump wrongly equated gender-affirming care to “mutilation” and “child abuse”, urged that the federal government pass a law recognizing only two genders based on the gender assigned at birth, and would declare any hospital with gender-affirming care services as no longer compliant with Medicaid and Medicare.
Alex Seitz-Wald and Jo Yurcaba at NBC News:
Former President Donald Trump vowed in a video released Tuesday that, if re-elected, he would punish doctors who provide gender-affirming care to minors and push schools to “promote positive education about the nuclear family” and “the roles of mothers and fathers” as part of a wide-ranging set of policies to use federal power to target transgender people.
In the straight-to-camera video posted on his Truth Social platform, Trump said he would task several federal agencies to police and ultimately “stop” gender-affirming care for minors, which he equated to “child abuse” and “child sexual mutilation.”
He said he would also prohibit any federal agency from doing work to “promote the concept of sex and gender transition at any age," not just for minors.
The proposals are likely to be met with staunch opposition from LGBTQ rights advocates, who are fighting similar ideas across the country, calling them detrimental to trans people.
[...]
Trump’s proposals are among the most draconian compared to the many that have circulated in state capitols in recent years, going so far as to suggest that he would push for a federal law recognizing only two genders.
Trump said he would push Congress to pass a law banning gender-affirming care for minors nationwide; order the Department of Justice to investigate the pharmaceutical industry and hospitals to see if they “deliberately covered up horrific long-term side effects of sex transitions in order to get rich;” and cut off doctors from Medicare and Medicaid — a potential career-ender for many doctors — if they treat trans youth with hormones or surgery.
In addition, he said he would make it easier for patients who later regret receiving gender-affirming care as a minor to sue their doctors, calling the procedures “unforgivable.”
Trump, who is running in the 2024 Republican presidential primary following his defeat in the 2020 election, announced plans in a video posted to Twitter to sign a series of executive orders to roll back gender-affirming care, which he dismissed as "the chemical, physical and emotional mutilation of our youth."
"The left-wing gender insanity being pushed on our children is an act of child abuse," he said in the video.Element removed
Trump pledged to sign an executive order "on day one" that would instruct federal agencies to cease all programs that "promote" gender transitioning for transgender youth. Furthermore, he said he would ask Congress to prevent taxpayer funds to be used on these procedures and pass a law banning gender-affirming care "in all 50 states."
He continued to say he would declare any hospital that allows gender-affirming care as no longer meeting standards for Medicaid and Medicare and order the Justice Department to probe whether hospitals covered up side effects of transitioning for financial profit—though there is no substantial evidence this has occurred.
Trump would also order schools to issue "severe consequences" against teachers who suggest students may be transgender. He also supported other policies, including that the U.S. would not officially recognize genders other than male and female, requirements for schools to teach benefits of the "nuclear family," and limits on transgender women from playing in women's sports.
Fellow Daily Kos diarist VPS Reports:
Trump’s new campaign has already pivoted focus onto popular culture war issues being held up by far-right media figures. As noted by journalist Ari Drennen, this is not Trump’s first time dabbling in anti-transgender legislative ideas.
While in office, the Trump administration attempted to define transgender people out of existence. They failed due to the rise of the “We Won’t Be Erased” pro-LGBTQ+ movement. The Trump administration also moved to restrict transgender access to unhoused shelters. Just like in 2016, mainstream legacy news outlets are still giving Trump a pass on his anti-transgender projects.
But now, in the current era of conservative culture warring against LGBTQ+ rights becoming mainstream, the impact of Trump planning out a national ban on transgender existence is even more deadly. Trump was recently seen with anti-transgender ideologue Chaya Raichik AKA Libs of TikTok, who has helped usher in this new era of mainstream anti-LGBTQ+ hate from the far-right.
Erin Reed said it best: 2024 elections will be life or death.
Reed warns Trump’s reasoning to ban gender-affirming care could be used against abortion and birth control as well:
If he is elected again, then his diabolical transphobic policies inspired by Libs Of TikTok founder Chaya Raichik will come into effect. The same would also apply if DeSantis is the nominee.
The 2024 elections could mean the difference between life and death for trans Americans, so it is imperative to vote Democratic up and down the ballot.
And to any LGBTQ+ person supporting such anti-trans garbage, shame on you!
*cough* Gays Against Groomers *cough* | *cough* Dave Rubin *cough*