Two Steps Forward, 45 Steps Back: Queer Backlash In The Trump Era

• In Event: Regulatory Rollback 2: The Future of Equality and Rights in an Era of Deregulation

Abstract

For many Queer citizens, the Obama administration seemed to be a beacon of hope – under the leadership of President Obama, marriage equality came to fruition, “don’t ask, don’t tell” was repealed, federal hate crime laws were passed, and the Justice Department rolled out a series of guidelines addressing the LGBTQ* community. Conversely, the Trump administration has waged an all-out offensive against Queer citizens and has, or has threatened to, rollback much of the progress that has been made. In barely more than a year, Trump has attempted to reinstate a ban on transgender military members (which he announced in a Tweet), has appointed openly homophobic judges to federal benches, has rescinded Title IX protections for transgender students and civil rights protections for transgender employees, has supported discrimination in the name of “religious freedom,” and fired all of the members of the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS. This assault on the rights of Queer citizens must be scrutinized for what it is – a blatant attempt to criminalize Queerness, enforce heteronormativity, and punish gender non-conformity.

Author

• Emily Lenning, Fayetteville State University