Rep. Tulsi Gabbard's anti-trans athlete bill gave right-wing media fodder to attack trans youth
Right-wing media outlets have earned more than two million Facebook interactions on content praising a new bill introduced by Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI) and Rep. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) that would prevent trans athletes from competing as their authentic selves in school sports. Advocates have called the bill “blatantly transphobic” and said it was “weaponizing ... fear of transness to hurt all women.”
Notably, Gabbard has previously worked for an anti-LGBTQ organization and opposed LGBTQ rights, though she claimed to be committed “to fighting for LGBTQ equality” during her failed 2020 presidential run. Staff from extreme anti-LGBTQ group Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), which is leading the charge against trans athletes, praised Gabbard’s bill.
The December 10 introduction of Gabbard’s bill -- and right-wing media’s support for it -- comes as state legislatures across the country will consider similar measures in their 2021 legislative sessions. A recent Media Matters study found that nearly 24% of all content about trans issues earning more than 100,000 Facebook interactions was right-leaning content about trans athletes, which received “nearly one third of all Facebook engagement on top trans-related content” -- dominating the conversation and shifting focus away from other important issues impacting the trans community, such as employment discrimination and high rates of violence.
This obsessive coverage helped lay the groundwork for states to introduce anti-trans athletes bills during their 2020 legislative sessions and will continue to do so in 2021.
https://www.mediamatters.org/daily-wire/rep-tulsi-gabbards-anti-trans-athlete-bill-gave-right-wing-media-fodder-attack-trans