Across the country, people are starting to notice a bizarre new obsession getting conservatives worked up. From Fox News to Twitter, right wing outlets are suddenly in an uproar about the seemingly innocuous topic of trans kids.
We spoke to several members of both the left and right wing communities, as well as the typically more apolitical trans organizations that have found themselves inadvertently caught in the middle of another heated national debate.
“I just have no idea where all of this came from”, said Marigold Teal, a volunteer at a Maryland center that helps children find gender-affirming clothing that best fits their identity. “It’s like all of a sudden it became immoral to put little boys in pantyhose. I just can’t keep track of all these changing rules.”
She isn’t alone in her confusion. School administrator Sunny Martinez spoke with us about the work they’ve been doing in Atlanta’s middle schools and the obstacles they’ve faced in the process. Spearheading a new program that brings in Onlyfans models to mentor young trans girls in basic fashion, flirting and feminine voice-training, she says her work has given many children the confidence they need to take their boss-bitch game to the next level.
“It’s just incredibly satisfying to know that you’re making a difference in these kid’s lives and encouraging their creativity and self-expression in the process. Which is why all of those angry parents were such a shock.”
Donnie Marn, an electrician in Clearwater, FL, was involved in an incident outside of a local elementary school and agreed to speak to us about it.
“I mean, first of all I voted for Biden” he said “so I don’t know why you keep calling me a Republican. I mean, all that happened was I saw a guy go up to these kids and started trying to put makeup on them. I went up and told him to knock it off and he just started screeching at me. Eventually some staff came out and told me that it was OK, so I just moved on…I mean, there was really nothing I could do about it. It just seemed really strange.”
The person Marn spoke of is Ember Raze, a Latinx drag queen and adult performer who often goes to local schools to, in her words, “make the community a little more queer”.
“I don’t even know what his problem was” Raze stated, “he just came up to me and was like ‘Why are you touching those kids’ and I was like who’s [expletive] business is it of yours Gringo? Anyway I don’t know what his problem was, some people just can’t mind their own business.”
Conservatives seem to be very tight lipped about what exactly it is about trans kids that they can’t get over, and many school administrators have told their staff to maintain vigilance against potential Republican aggravators who might try and harass trans students and staff. Mark Hughely, principal of Thurgood Marshall Middle School, is trying the best he can at keeping everyone safe.
“We tell our students and staff, you know, be on the lookout. Anyone who has their shirts tucked into their jeans with short, kept hair, that’s who’s coming in and causing problems. A lot of these kids, despite what they say, really get a lot out of experimenting with their gender identity, and as a principal I think that’s one of the primary roles we have as educators. Whether or not this conservative fad will die out, we’ll have to see. But we want everyone to know that we stand here, right next to your children. Whether you like it or not.”
