Today’s Cultural Warfare Update: 3 March 2023

[solarbird]

Tennessee’s new ban on drag in public was specifically amended to fall right before Pride – and it’s very broadly written to criminalise drag at Pride. And, as I’ve mentioned many times, these are all quite intentionally written to be so vague as to be applicable against trans people as well. This is all very intentional, of course. Fascists engaged in a freeway banner hanging thanking the governor for signing the legislation and encouraging more. (It’s down in the article and the original source link – via The Tennessee Hollar – is Twitter, so I’m not linking directly.)

Republicans in Florida are planning to aggressively expand the “Don’t Say Gay” bill to bar more discussion of LGBT people (see also). More on this in the Fascism Watch, since there’s context. (If you wonder why I’m having a hard time seeing these as separate any more, well, here’s another example.)

Walgreens, under threat from Republican state attorneys-general, has stopped sales of RU-486 and similar drugs in several states where they are still legal. This was never about “states rights” and never will be; that was always, without exception, a bald-faced bad-faith lie. As is everything else they say, when that’s the approach they think will get them what they want at any given moment.

What it will take to get centrist and centre-left journalists to realise this, I can’t tell you, because they fall for it every. goddamn. time. and it’s infuriating. See also Today on The American Prospect: Prominent center-left journalists were swindled by obvious nonsense about a St. Louis gender clinic. More on that nonsensical “whistleblower’s” bullshit story collapsing in on itself here.

The Southern Baptist Convention has started kicking out churches with female pastors – even though some of those pastors have been in position for literally decades. None of this is coincidental timing, of course, and it’s not even ideological – the preacher interviewed at the link is very conservative and is leading a very evangelical church. But WOMAN BAD, so out they go.

Talking of, Fox News is mad that trans women are likely to be included in a planned museum about American women’s history at the Smithsonian. I mean, of course they are, WIMMEN being included in HIStory?! “Outrageous! Deranged! It’s HIStory, you bitches, now go make me a sammich.” Plus trans, of course, which makes everything spicier.

Posted via Solarbird{y|z|yz}, Collected.