Public Sentiment Shifts: The Unexpected Fallout of Progressive LGBTQ Agenda
LGBTQ issues seem to be all the rage at the moment. This was the case even before Pride Month began. To some, this might sound like a head-scratcher, given that acceptance for members of the community – even among conservatives – is much higher in 2023 than it was even 20 years ago. Nevertheless, there is still heated debate over issues pertaining to the LGBTQ community and the political factors involved in the conversation. The question is: Why?
Ages ago, the primary conversation regarding the LGBTQ community centered on the issue of gay marriage. The topic was hotly debated on the airwaves and the interwebs. However, when the Supreme Court handed down its ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges, gay marriage was enshrined into law, and same-sex couples were allowed to marry.
Since then, public sentiment has changed on the matter. A Gallup pollconducted last year found that more Americans support same-sex marriage than in previous years:
Seventy-one percent of Americans say they support legal same-sex marriage, which exceeds the previous high of 70% recorded in 2021 by one percentage point.
In 2021, Gallup found 55 percent of Republicans support same-sex marriage. This shows that most on the right seem to support gay marriage, or take the libertarian view that the government should not be involved in marriage as an institution in the first place.
When it comes to transgender issues, most Americans appear to be sympathetic to the plight of those dealing with gender dysphoria. A Pew Research poll also conducted last year showed that “[r]oughly eight-in-ten U.S. adults say there is at least some discrimination against transgender people in our society, and a majority favor laws that would protect transgender individuals from discrimination in jobs, housing and public spaces.”
The poll also showed that while people have sympathy with transgender individuals, about 60 percent “say a person’s gender is determined by their sex assigned at birth.”
After same-sex marriage, the issue of transgender individuals and restrooms heated up six years ago, especially in states like North Carolina. Companies like Target came under fire when it published a blog post encouraging transgender employees and customers to use the restroom that aligns with their chosen gender identity. But even this controversy did not rise to the level of backlash that we are seeing today in America.
So what happened?
The answer is simple: When the progressive left started targeting children with their gender ideology, all bets were off.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, parents discovered that their schools were inculcating their children with far-leftist ideas pertaining to race, gender identity, and sexuality. At first, it was critical race theory that dominated the headlines as teachers and school staff were addressing race issues and history in a way that was clearly problematic.
However, critical race theory, as the focal point, was quickly eclipsed by the focus on transgenderism and leftist teachings on sexuality. When people realized that public schools were encouraging children to embrace a transgender identity to the point that they were helping young children “transition” to the opposite gender without the knowledge and consent of parents, the debate blew up into the conflagration it is today. Schools are even allowing biological male students to undress in girls’ locker rooms if they claim they are transgender. Over the past two years, angry parents have been storming school board meetings to protest against the indoctrination going on in their children’s schools.
Moreover, progressives started pushing transgenderism in sports even more aggressively than they have in the past. They argue in favor of biological males competing with biological women in sports in high schools, college, and in other areas. Progressive activists have resorted to labeling anyone who disagrees with having men in women’s spaces as “bigots” and even “domestic terrorists.”
Meanwhile, another Gallup poll showed that 69 percent of Americans oppose the idea that biological males should be allowed to compete in women’s sports.
Gallup recently released the results of the survey finding that 69 percent of respondents believe transgender athletes should only be allowed to compete in sports that match their biological gender. This includes a whopping 48 percent of Democrats. The poll also showed that 55 percent of Americans believe it is “morally wrong” to change one’s gender. This shows that those opposing the progressive transgender agenda are making strides in the culture war.
The turn of public sentiment against the progressive LGBTQ agenda seems to have caught the left off guard. It seems they did not expect this level of backlash – possibly because they never dreamed that the COVID-19 pandemic would result in people being alerted to what these people are doing with children in schools and medical facilities. But again, they went wrong when they decided to foist their ideas on people’s children unbeknownst to their parents. Also, advocating for men to invade women’s spaces was another misstep the movement made in trying to get the country to accept their ideas.
What is truly sad about this whole situation is that most members of the LGBTQ community are not rabid Marxist activists, nor do they approve of much of what these radicals are doing. I’ve spoken with several transgender individuals who are just as offended as we are about the introduction of trans ideology to children and the notion that biological males should compete with biological females. Most of the gay and lesbian folks I’ve known throughout my life have not been on board with what progressives are pushing.
Many LGBTQ folks have spoken out against the excesses of the hard left. Unfortunately, they are rarely given the microphone, so their voices are drowned out by the screeching mob of far-leftist banshees seeking to push a destructive agenda on the rest of the country. While pushing these ideas on children is certainly disgusting, there is a silver lining. The exposure of this movement has galvanized Americans – even those on the left – into combatting this effort.
Post a Comment