What Next - The War on LGBTQ+ Rights
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Slate Podcasts
4.5 • 6K Ratings
🗓️ 11 July 2022
⏱️ 31 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
As anti-gay and anti-trans politics become more mainstream, the Trevor Project has a unique perspective. They run a hotline where queer kids are talking about how Republican rhetoric is meeting reality. Bullying once thought to be confined to high schools has made its way to mainstream politics.
Guest: Sam Ames, civil rights lawyer and director of advocacy and governmental affairs at The Trevor Project.
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Transcript
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| 0:38.2 | There's something strange going on right now. In the way Republicans talk about people |
| 0:43.2 | or LGBTQ. If you listen in on how Republicans speak to each other, you can hear it's even strange |
| 0:50.4 | for them. All in favor of adding this language say aye. This is a meeting that took place in Texas |
| 0:58.0 | last month. The Biannual Republican Convention. The people in this room are writing up their |
| 1:06.0 | party platform, going through a document that's projected on a big screen. Someone's about to add |
| 1:11.9 | a little new language, about a thousand lines in. I want to add the following short sentence. |
| 1:18.0 | Homosexuality is an abnormal lifestyle choice period. As you can probably imagine, not everyone is |
| 1:27.0 | in favor of this change. Anybody want to speak against? Mr. Vaughn? I know you're all surprised, |
| 1:34.6 | right? Look, I have not spoken against any other of these. Jason Vaughn is gay. He's from Houston |
| 1:40.4 | and he is pissed. Dropping this on this this committee right now after these things have been so |
| 1:45.7 | hard fought. After honestly something I deeply disagree with, it's harmful, it's hurting. I was |
| 1:52.9 | called a pedophile outside. Somebody screamed pedophile at me because I'm a gay man. |
| 2:00.9 | I am a member of this committee. I was unanimous. I'm sorry I shouldn't get this emotional. |
| 2:06.7 | I'm a member of this committee. I have been committed to this party. I have blocked |
| 2:11.8 | walked every weekend. Listening to Jason Vaughn's shock is a decent reminder of how quickly |
| 2:19.0 | mainstream republicanism is moving here. Debating how normal he is feels retro to Jason. |
... |
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