A common trick of Christian Nationalist groups is to claim to be protecting children.
Thus, they claim books that contain frank discussions of human sexuality must be removed from school and public libraries lest children see them. Certain curriculum topics deemed too sensitive for young minds must be removed. We’re told that teenagers aren’t capable of managing their own reproductive health care, so adults have to do it for them. The list goes on.
We’ve seen this argument raised in several states where legislators have banned or are trying to ban gender-affirming care for young people. We are told young people aren’t mature enough to make these decisions (even though they do so in consultation with their parents and medical professionals) and therefore entire medications and procedures must be placed off limits to them.
It’s bad enough that Christian Nationalists are plotting to deny vital health care to young people, and we would be foolish to believe that if they succeed, they’ll stop there. Indeed, a number of state legislators admitted as much recently during a discussion on X (formerly Twitter). The lawmakers made it clear they want to ban gender-affirming care for everyone.
“In terms of endgame, why are we allowing these practices for anyone?” asked Michigan state Rep. Josh Schriver (R-Oxford). “Why would we stop this for anyone under 18 but not apply this for anyone over 18? It’s harmful across the board, and I think that’s something that we need to take into consideration in terms of the endgame.”
Schriver was among several Michigan legislators taking part in the discission, which was first reported by journalist Erin Reed. Other participants included state Reps. Brad Paquette (R-Niles), Tom Kunse (R-Clare) and state Sens. Lana Theis (R-Brighton) and Jonathan Lindsey (R-Coldwater) as well Gary Click, an Ohio state representative, and Prisha Mosley, a Michigan woman known for her anti-transgender activism.
Schriver’s proposal was enthusiastically received. Click called it a “very smart thought” and added, “I think sometimes what we know legislatively is we have to take sometimes small bites.”
When Schriver again expressed his support for banning gender-affirming care for everyone, Paquette replied, “We’ll chat offline about all this good stuff.”
Click quoted scripture at one point but also said he doesn’t want the anti-trans crusade to be perceived as a religious issue.
It’s too late for that. For decades, Christian Nationalist organizations have been citing biblical passages in their relentless attacks on LGBTQ+ people. Often, that’s all they’ve brought to the table.
They may try to hide that, but what these Michigan and Ohio legislators are scheming to do is take away people’s rights and make the lives of trans people more difficult. They’re bluntly telling us that. The only question remaining is what we’ll do with that information.
P.S. Erin Reed, known on social media as Erin In The Morning, will be one of the keynote speakers at AU’s Summit for Religious Freedom (SRF) in April. You won’t want to miss what she has to say, so sign up today.
