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Donald Trump's latest affront to human rights came Wednesday when he rescinded protections for transgender students in public schools, succumbing to the socially conservative Republican base's anti-LGBTQ+ fervor. In the grand scheme of things, the new policy isn't surprising — after all, Republicans' bread and butter right now is stripping rights away from everyone who isn't a straight, cis, white male — but the decision is absolutely infuriating in the context of the larger Republican platform. Here are seven terrible things that Republicans apparently find more acceptable than trans people existing in society.
The argument that Trump and his supporters make is that trans rights should be decided at the state level (even though Trump has no problem pushing new boundaries of executive power). If you read between the lines, that's basically code for "we don't care about you enough to offer you the best protection possible."
Trans kids who are just trying to live their lives as normally as possible are now at the mercy of their communities, with no representation at the federal level. There are so many more dangerous policies that Republicans endorse over trans rights, and it's heartbreaking to see just how little the current American government cares about their lived struggles. These seven policies that are more important to Republicans show the extent of their antipathy.
Bringing A Gun Into A Bathroom
Open carry laws allow (white) people to bring guns into bathrooms, but for some reason, trans people in bathrooms is too risky. Can you imagine being so deluded as to think that it's more dangerous to have a trans person in a bathroom than an assault rifle?
Cutting Taxes For The People Who Can Already Afford Them
Trump's tax plan is still fuzzy, but ~shockingly~ he wants to cut taxes for the wealthiest families in America. In Trump's head, saving trans kids is less important than saving himself money. Just let that sink in.
Bragging About Sexually Assaulting Women
The fact that Trump bragged about the below should have been enough to stop Republicans from supporting him.
"Just kiss. I don’t even wait. And when you’re a star, they let you do it. You can do anything ... Grab them by the pussy. You can do anything."
Profiting Off Of Mass Incarceration
The private prison industry got a big boost on Thursday when Attorney General Jeff Sessions rescinded the Obama administration decision to phase out their use.
Even though they've been found to be more dangerous than federally run prisons, they're still more acceptable to Republicans than transgender people.
Forcing Women To Have Funerals For Their Aborted Fetuses
Mike Pence famously supported a bill during his tenure as Indiana's governor that would have mandated funerals for aborted fetuses, and since his ticket won the election, that's a tacit support for the policy from the Republican base.
The resistance to this transphobic, misogynistic, racist, plutocratic government is vital to the survival of American democracy. None of these policies are in line with real American values, so don't stop fighting until they're all a distant memory.
