Thread by @CaseyExplosion

The transphobia crisis in the UK mirrors in a lot of ways Prop 8 in California over a decade ago. There was a concerted effort by the religious right to ban same sex marriage in what is one of the most progressive states, and saw huge amounts of out of state money pouring in...

The logic was, that if the religious right could prove that even a progressive state rejects marriage equality, that it would deal a deadly blow to LGBT rights and kill off the growing momentum for marriage equality. It passed in 2008, and California banned same sex marriage.

It was deemed unconstitutional and overturned eventually, and in the end marriage equality won out in 2015. But I don't think it can be overstated just how intense the culture of homophobia got during the Prop 8 era, it was absolutely vile and shocking and extremely dehumanising.

Some of the worst anti-LGBT bigotry and hate came out of that campaign, the language was extreme. There was a comment argument that pedophilic men would marry so they could adopt a child to abuse, and as such marriage equality shouldn't happen because 'SaFeGuArDiNg' 😬

Does that sound familiar at all to the UK's transphobia crisis? Amorphous, imagined threats to children, the demonisation and slurring of an entire group of people as predators, arguments that if someone's gender/marriage is recognised the someone else's is invalidated...

Folks in favour of marriage equality were smeared as hateful bullies who were intolerant of different opinions and conservatives were feigning victimhood despite the intensity of the homophobia they whipped up.

Prop 8 even had it's own JK Rowling in the form of Orson Scott Card.

The very same religious right groups like the Heritage Foundation and Alliance Defending Freedom that are heavily involved in fueling and funding the UK's transphobic push back against LGBT rights and bodily autonomy. It's all the same.

At this point, I would like to say that the UK's transphobia crisis will pass too. I know that's probably of little comfort to those who are suffering now and will likely live with the trauma of it for the rest of their lives, but it will pass. So please, stay strong.

What's happening in the UK, they're trying to do the most damage they can in the shortest time possible. Hence why after the puberty blockers ruling, they're immediately calling for forced conversion therapy and censorship of pro-trans messages on the internet.

It's overreach.

And they know it's overreach. They're hoping they can push through enough regressive legislation as quickly as possible, then hope it takes a lot longer to legally challenge and untangle. This is all about striking while the iron's hot and doing short term damage.

It's no coincidence that this is being done to the UK considering the country is already in turmoil over Brexit, progressive voices are already strained. It's as much an opportunistic gambit as it is hateful.

The panic and hopelessness that trans people are feeling the world over right now, the fact that everything seems to be going so fast, one thing after another... It's all intentional. It's meant to make us feel hopeless.

I don't have all the answers, but I know that keeping you afraid and panicked is the intent.

Please know that this will pass.