I am writing this from Philadelphia, “the birthplace of America.” If I were America, I would be desperately searching for that big cervix in the sky so that I could crawl back into the womb. But since that’s not possible, I think it’s safe to say that at this moment, America is curled up in the fetal position, having a very bad time.
And that’s because we have a very bad president and a very bad Congress who are doing very bad things.
Currently, everybody has their eyes trained on a rapidly tanking economy, furiously searching “tariffs” on the internet. If only there had been proof that Donald Trump was not a good businessman before the United States elected him for a second time. Sadly, there was just no way to know.
I’m kidding, obviously. He has always been the worst, and the entire world is witnessing Trump outdo himself like a cartoon villain.
Case in point: Trump’s proclamation recognizing April as National Child Abuse Prevention Month.
“This National Child Abuse Prevention Month, we commit to empowering every child in America to lead a fulfilling life of dignity and love,” the proclamation states, “and we pledge to bring every abuser, predator, and evildoer who threatens the health and safety of our children to swift justice.”
Seems fine on the surface. Child abuse is a horrible thing, and we should be doing everything we can to prevent it. What decent person could disagree?
The proclamation goes on to state that the “most powerful safeguard against child abuse is a stable family with loving parents.” Yes, for sure. Who could disagree? Children need stability and love.
Then, it states that “there is no substitute for a strong mother and father. For this reason, I am working every day to fortify our families.”
Ah, OK, I see where this is going. Republicans have long claimed that there is only one kind of family that is acceptable.
Um, “fortify?” Like, with vitamins? Also, what does “strong” mean here? I’m assuming it’s not a mother and father who drink Muscle Milk out of a gallon jug at the gym as they get swole. Pretty sure “strong” means authoritarian. You know, like the president. Who is not a good father and who is a rapist. So not exactly a great spokesperson for protecting the vulnerable.
The rest of the proclamation just straight-up bashes transgender kids and anyone who loves them enough to support them and get them the care they need.
“Sadly, one of the most prevalent forms of child abuse facing our country today is the sinister threat of gender ideology,” the proclamation continues. “The evil and backwards lies of gender insanity are robbing our children of their happiness, health, and freedom, while imposing unimaginable heartbreak on parents and families.”
Trump believes that kids are being recruited by shadowy trans secret agents. He’s said before that kids go off to school, are gone for days, and come back home having had surgery to make them trans. In no world is that happening.
But, of course, this is not a new story. Conservatives have been saying for decades that gays and lesbians recruit children. It’s a gross smear intended to label all queer people as a danger to children. Same old shit.
“It is vile and upsetting, but importantly, it is just a press release. It does not change the law or direct any agency action,” Chase Strangio, co-director of the ACLU’s LGBT & HIV Project, posted on Instagram. “But it does continue to suggest that the government is moving towards efforts to explicitly criminalize trans life and support of trans people, and we must continue to stay vigilant. It also clearly demonstrates the direct line from attacking families with trans kids to attacking same-sex parent families to attacking alternative family structures to entrenching a regressive view of what it means to be a man and a woman.”
It should be clear to anyone with a pulse that the Trump Administration is lawless, cruel and will do whatever the hell it wants to whoever the hell it wants. They’re literally snatching people off the street and sending them to concentration camps. That’s happening. In real life. In the United States.
“We affirm that every perpetrator who inflicts violence on our children will be punished to the fullest extent of the law,” the proclamation continues.
Given that caring for transgender kids is the only type of “abuse” mentioned in the proclamation, this whole thing is a direct threat to parents and medical providers.
Don’t think they won’t come for you and your queer family. We are absolutely on their enemies list.
