1A Remaking America: Why The GOP Has Rallied Behind Anti-Trans Legislation
1A
NPR
4.3 • 4.5K Ratings
🗓️ 2 June 2022
⏱️ 32 minutes
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Summary
2022 is already on track to break that record, according to the Human Rights Campaign. The advocacy group is monitoring some 300 proposed bills across 36 states – more than a third of which affect trans youth.
Most of this legislation is being pushed by Republican lawmakers and is a galvanizing issue for the GOP base.
We discuss how much trans rights matter to conservative voters. We also take a look at how anti-trans legislation gained so much support from Republicans.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hi, my name is Susan. I'm from Cape, Maine, New Jersey. I have a son. I had a son, unfortunately, |
| 0:14.9 | who was transgender and he took his life. I have been very active in the LGBTQ movement. |
| 0:24.4 | What they're doing is very hateful and hurtful and it certainly does not gel or mesh with anything |
| 0:32.0 | religion has to do with this. And I am horrified that we're taking a turn backwards. So I would |
| 0:40.8 | hope anyone who is a parent of an LGBTQ child would act like a mama bear and fight like |
| 0:49.0 | crazy. 2021 was a record breaking year for anti-transgender legislation in the US. More than |
| 0:56.1 | 290 bills targeting the LGBTQ plus community were introduced in state legislatures. 25 of |
| 1:02.9 | those were enacted. But this year is already on track to break that record according to the |
| 1:07.9 | human rights campaign. The advocacy group has counted more than 300 proposed bills across 36 |
| 1:13.8 | states and more than a third of that legislation affects transgender youth. What started in 2014 |
| 1:20.0 | as bans on which bathrooms trans people can use as spread to female sports teams and health care |
| 1:26.1 | in some states the discussion of sexuality and LGBTQ issues in the classroom is banned. |
| 1:31.3 | Most of this legislation has been pushed by Republican lawmakers and it's become a galvanizing |
| 1:35.8 | issue within the GOP. Paul suggests Americans overwhelmingly approve of laws that support the LGBTQ |
| 1:42.2 | plus community. So why is the GOP going in the opposite direction? This conversation is part of our |
| 1:47.8 | remaking America project. Over the next two years we're collaborating with public radio stations |
| 1:52.5 | across the country to explore how Americans are bridging their political divides. Stay tuned, |
| 1:57.7 | we've got a lot to cover after the break. I'm Jen White. You're listening to the 1A podcast |
| 2:02.5 | where we get to the heart of the story. And remember to have your questions answered on |
| 2:06.5 | future topics or just to let us know what you think. Tweet us at 1A. |
| 2:17.2 | Let's get into the conversation. Imara Jones is the creator of Translash Media and host of the |
| 2:22.5 | podcast the anti-trans hate machine. She joins us now. Imara thanks for joining us. |
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