This article is part of a series discussing relationships with campaigns aimed at redefining marriage and transactivism.
Andrew Sullivan, a noted advocate for gay marriage, recently expressed his views in a New York Times opinion piece. He stated, “The greater acceptance of trans people is a huge step forward for all of us. But are you going to abolish sex binaries across society? That’s completely different. And honestly, I believe that’s insanity.”
To put it bluntly, Mr. Sullivan, despite your nostalgic recollections of the early days of LGBTQ activism, your surprise at the extreme tactics of the trans rights movement seems unwarranted.
It turns out that Sullivan isn’t alone in his sentiments; many LGBT activists share his concerns that the movement he once championed has gone too far.
Interestingly, trans radicals often mirror the mainstream methods that have denied them rights. In fact, many of their strategies echo those used during the fight for marriage equality.
Resistance to Change
As someone who supports traditional marriage, I feel it’s important to say: we warned you.
Sullivan’s book from 1996, “Virtually Normal,” framed gay marriage as a moderate demand for equality, rejecting imposed tolerance and regulation of personal beliefs. Fast forward ten years to Obergefell, where Sullivan promoted that equality became codified in law. Yet, he’s shocked that the trans movement is not planning to halt its progress.
It’s worth noting that opponents of gender ideology are often marginalized and deemed socially unacceptable. Many gay men, lesbians, and trans individuals I’ve spoken with tend to agree with people like JK Rowling and Martina Navratilova. The atmosphere in LGBTQ spaces has turned quite intolerant, where previously, diverse expressions and discussions were welcomed. Now, it’s an environment of fear and self-censorship.
While Sullivan may find it surprising that dissent is being silenced among his peers, I, for one, am not taken aback.
A History of Intolerance
Take Brendan Eich, for instance, who faced backlash back in 2008 for donating to the campaign supporting Proposition 8. He experienced harassment to such a degree that he had to resign from the company he co-founded.
Activists have even created interactive maps to target donors of Proposition 8, which led to widespread doxxing. Moreover, anti-Proposition 8 demonstrators surrounded the Mormon Temple in L.A., leading to public harassment. For years, many have feared to express views that might be interpreted as “hate.”
Welcome to our reality, Sullivan. Some of us have been navigating this climate of fear for quite some time.
Free Speech at Risk
We resonate with Sullivan’s alarm regarding the trans activist backlash against a book critical of Chase Strangio, an ACLU lawyer and trans advocate. However, he loses credibility when he suggests that gay rights activists have always opposed censorship. “If censorship was in the air, gay men and lesbians were the first to oppose it,” he claims.
That’s not how I remember it. Were you unaware that gay activists pressured Amazon to pull books by authors like Joe Dallas and Joseph Nicolosi, who once identified as gay or lesbian?
Let’s not forget when Log Cabin Republicans faced pushback for attempting to invite a pro-family group to speak at the Conservative Political Action Conference in 2018 about “The Health Hazards of Homosexuality.” I remember writing about it when the controversy first began in 2017, and not a single protestor was able to counter the claims made in the exhaustive, 600-page book.
In 2020, gay activists successfully managed to have the book banned from Amazon. Accessibility to literature that provides factual, albeit uncomfortable, information about the medical and psychological risks associated with acting on same-sex attractions has become increasingly difficult. Can this really be seen as valuing free speech?
A New Kind of “Homophobia”
Sullivan uses the term “transphobic” in his article without any hint of irony, a label that seeks to frame disagreement with trans ideology as hatred.
This mirrors the use of the term “homophobia,” which served to dismiss objections to gay marriage. I’ve discovered that people often label dissent as pure hate.
My experience has led me to the center of the Southern Poverty Law Center’s “Hate List,” as I argue for children’s rights over adults’ desires. And I wonder—who coined the term “heteronormative,” suggesting a false belief that heterosexuality is the norm? Perhaps it was the same individual who dubbed it “gender-affirming care,” describing drugs and surgeries on confused young people as beneficial.
No, Mr. Sullivan: Your surprise at the trans rights movement’s excesses seems unwarranted. Your past tactics have provided the groundwork for this movement. If you’re genuinely in support of their methods, a public acknowledgment of that would be appreciated. I suspect Brendan Eich, Jack Phillips, and the Mormon Church would also agree.
This is just the beginning. In my next piece, I plan to discuss how “gay-friendly” policies paved the way for “trans-friendly” policies.
