Hamilton Nolan:

“Trans people are a tiny minority, trans people can easily be demonized, and so the Republican Party has made the decision to spend hundreds of millions of dollars raising the salience of ‘trans issues’ in political campaigns, because they wager that it is good fuel for stoking fear and bigotry, which will benefit them, as the Party of Scared Bigots. The fact that national political reporters and columnists and debate moderators will now treat questions about trans people and their rights as legitimate is proof that this rude, repellent, morally abhorrent campaign has been successful. Congrats, bigots: The political establishment has been completely unable to tell you to fuck off, which would have been the proper response from day one.”

100% yes to this.

Part of the reason I feel strongly on this issue is that bigots eventually come for the Jews, and it doesn’t take long. There are other reasons I support trans rights – because I have had trans friends, coworkers, acquaintances and creators I admire, and because it’s the right thing to do. But self-interest is part of it.