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Jimmy Williams
Homophobic and transphobic remarks have unmistakably dominated the first three days of the Republican National Convention (RNC) in Milwaukee. An analysis by NBC News found that at least a dozen speakers at the convention negatively mentioned gender or sexuality in their speeches.
Senator Ron Johnson, R-Wis., set the tone on Monday with a speech laden with anti-LGBTQ sentiment. He criticized the Democratic platform, stating, “This fringe agenda includes biological males competing against girls and the sexualization and indoctrination of our children,” which was met with boos from the crowd in agreement.
Following Johnson, Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., took the stage. She mocked the timing of Transgender Day of Visibility, which coincided with Easter this year, saying, “They promise normalcy and gave us transgender visibility day on Easter Sunday.”
The convention also featured North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, a gubernatorial candidate who has previously described homosexuality and “transgenderism” as “filth.” Although he did not make anti-LGBTQ remarks from the RNC podium, his controversial record has been widely covered, and he has received an endorsement from former President Donald Trump.
The anti-LGBTQ rhetoric at the convention has been particularly focused on the transgender and nonbinary communities. Representative Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., declared, “We were richer, inflation was low and there were two genders,” referring to the state of the country under the Trump administration.
Donald Trump Jr. echoed these sentiments, accusing the left of “teaching our kids that there are 57 genders” and claiming they “can’t even define what a woman is.”
Conversely, some speakers, including RNC co-chair Lara Trump, American model Amber Rose, and Richard Grenell, Trump’s former acting director of national intelligence, attempted to appeal to gay Americans. Grenell, who is openly gay, stated, “Donald Trump doesn’t care if you’re gay or straight, Black, brown or white, or what gender you are. He knows that we are all Americans and that it’s time to put America first.”
Despite these appeals, the widespread and rapid anti-LGBTQ rhetoric at this year’s convention underscores how language that once targeted the community, especially trans people, has become more accepted within the Republican Party. Gabriele Magni, an assistant professor of political science at Loyola Marymount University, noted, “The rhetoric is extreme if we compare it to not just the Republican Party a few years ago but, for instance, conservative parties in other countries.”
Since the 2020 RNC, there have been significant changes, including an update to the GOP platform and a surge of anti-LGBTQ state bills. The new GOP platform, released this month, removed language explicitly defining marriage as between “one man and one woman” but emphasized promoting a culture that values the sanctity of marriage. It also called for banning trans people from competing in sports aligning with their gender identity and prohibiting taxpayer dollars from funding transition-related surgeries.
This year alone, 527 anti-LGBTQ pieces of legislation have been introduced by state lawmakers, according to the American Civil Liberties Union. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’s enactment of the “Don’t Say Gay” law in 2022 has further fueled anti-LGBTQ rhetoric, accusing Democrats of “grooming” or “indoctrinating” children.
DeSantis reiterated these accusations at the convention, stating, “They want to ban gas automobiles, eliminate Second Amendment rights and impose gender ideology on everyone from our infantrymen to kindergartners.”
Charles Moran, president of the Log Cabin Republicans, defended some of the rhetoric, stating, “Don’t confuse the commitment to parental rights and traditional biological gender issues as being something homophobic. We know that most of this country agrees [with] protecting women’s spaces, preserving women’s sports, ensuring parental rights on every level, and really looking at the issue of gender transition under the age of 18. These are common sense issues.”
Former President Trump will deliver his keynote speech on Thursday night, concluding the convention. While he has been advocating for national unity following a recent assassination attempt, Trump has a history of making anti-transgender remarks, including referring to trans women competing in women’s sports as “men” and describing transition-related care for minors as “mutilation.”
