Isn't it pretty normal for political party's to signal their values during a period of cultural divide? Isn't that sort of what political parties are for?

[–] TotallynotJessica@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago

The broader point is to showcase how terrible the Republicans are for spending so much energy oppressing a tiny minority instead of focusing on more important issues. Republicans focus so much on cultural issues because their economic policy is deeply unpopular. Democrats take a stand on trans rights, but most politicians don't talk about trans people that much. They talk about the economy, regulations, government programs, and other issues that have a huge effect on everyone's lives. They usually talk about trans people in the context of opposing oppressive Republican policies and bigotry.

Democrats mostly play defense on trans rights because America's hands off attitude to personal decisions actually makes the US one of the easiest places on earth to legally change your gender or get prescribed hormones. Before it became a partisan issue, most right wingers supported informed consent and name changes, as the freedom to live on your own terms was an important part of the American mythos. The cost of treatment sucks here, making transition a bigger economic burden than most other countries, but considering how fucked healthcare is for everyone, trans folks aren't as unique.

Transphobes think about trans people more than trans people, just like how Judaism was more important to antisemites than to most Jews. Scapegoats are the glue that binds fascists together, and bigotry is necessary to distract from unpopular policies.