The Fascists Among Us

As society moves forward in accepting and welcoming those of us who do not conform to the rigid gender norms and binary that was forced upon us by the ruling patriarchal class, we have seen strong and organized push back against the most marginalized. For those of us who have been paying attention, this escalation of violent rhetoric and attacks on our existence is nothing new. Ever since the right lost the marriage equality fight with the landmark Obergefell v Hodges Supreme Court decision, conservatives in the US have set their sights on the transgender community as the new boogeyman. We are their other who they can blame for ruining the sacred Christian nuclear family to be used as a rallying cry in elections and state houses across the nation. Just yesterday in the US House of Representatives the Republican Party passed a bill that would ban transgender girls and women from participating in sports at any school that receives federal funding. After the bill’s passage, the speaker of the house and supporters of the bill spent 30 minutes calling transwomen “biological males” and spewing lies about how they are the ones protecting women in this country while they rollback funding for schools, healthcare, and ban abortions. The talking points Republicans use to justify their hateful ideologies are reminiscent of fascists all over the world and throughout history: their political rivals are the enemy, we must save our pure culture from perversions, etc.

On March 17, 2023 the Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention issued a Red Flag Alert for the United States of America concerning transgender people. This occurred after a speech at CPAC calling for the eradication of transgenderism to loud applause. You may think I am being hyperbolic when I say that the Republicans and the conservative movement in the United States is a fascist and antidemocratic political movement with many similarities to the Nazi Party from Germany, but I am not. The State of Missouri now has a form on their website where you can report to the government transgender people and their allies to the state which is eerily similar to people turning in Jews and other people the Nazi’s didn’t consider human.  The Florida legislature has passed a bill that would allow the state to take children from their parents if the children are “at risk of gender affirming healthcare” and it could even apply to Floridian parents living out of state.

When North Carolina passed their Bathroom Bill in 2016, they said it was about protecting women and children.

When States and organizations banned transgender people from sports, they said it was about protecting women and children.

When States banned gender affirming healthcare for minors, they said it was about protecting women and children.

When States banned adult gender affirming care, they showed it was never about protecting women and children.

It was always about control. Control over our bodies and our lives. They either want us to fit neatly into little boxes that their narrow worldview can handle or they want us gone. They want us to not exist. After making it impossible to amend birth certificates in the state, Montana recently passed a bill that removed transgender people from 40 sections of code while refusing to let a transgender Democratic State Representative speak. They also censured her for her speech on the floor a few days ago and misgendered her in the letter and are going to refuse to allow her to speak for the remainder of the session. This is fascism.

There is nothing exceptional about America or our society that can prevent us from being fascist. Many of the warning signs are already here, staring us in the face: powerful nationalism, disdain for human rights, making an enemy a unifying cause, militarism, sexism, religion and government becoming intertwined, protecting corporate power, suppressing labor power, disdain for arts and intellectuals, corruption, and claims of fraudulent elections. The Republican Party has given up any pretense that they care for democracy or for the general population of this country. They are outright genocidal fascists or at the very least welcoming and enabling those who are outright genocidal fascists to the Party for the sake of consolidating their hold on power. So much of what Republicans have done in recent years could be mistaken for 1930s Germany. Book bans and burns, restricting women’s rights, criminalizing LGBTQ+ people, trying to cement one party rule, rampant nationalism, and quoting Hitler.

It is not hopeless to fight this rising tide of hate and nationalism. We have the power to stop this, but we cannot stay silent or we will lose. Our lives are on the line. Do it for the children who deserve a chance to grow up to be the person they truly are. To live in a world where they are not hated or targeted for their identity. To live in a world without fascism.

Other sources:

https://www.lemkininstitute.com/statements-new-page/statement-on-the-genocidal-nature-of-the-gender-critical-movement%E2%80%99s-ideology-and-practice