Hide Your Rainbow?

This is really a great time for the LGBTQ+  community, isn't it? 

On CNN, their leading and most respected news anchor is Anderson Cooper, a gay man. 

We don't dislike Ellen DeGeneres because she's a lesbian. No, we dislike Ellen because she's a jerk.  

Jeopardy viewers spent several weeks in the company of super champion Amy Schneider, a trans gender woman, who received wide ranging and enthusiastic support during her epic run. 

Speaking of transgender women,  Dr. Rachel Levine serves as assistant secretary for health at the Department of Health and Human Services and leads a group of 6,000 uniformed public health officers. A trained pediatrician, Dr. Levine  was sworn in as a four-star admiral of the Public Health Service Commissioned Corps in October, becoming just the sixth person to receive the honor in the corps’ history and also is the first female and openly transgender four-star admiral to hold that position. 

There are thousands of examples of people in the LGBTQ+  community receiving support, acceptance, acclaim and respect in positions of authority and notoriety.

There's never been a better time to show off those rainbow colors, right?

Or maybe not? 

Republican Texas attorney general Ken Paxton greeted the news of Dr. Rachel Levine's accomplishment by purposely misgendering her, falling in line behind Rep. Jim Banks (R-Ind.) and Fox News host Tucker Carlson who also misgendered Dr. Levine.   

Paxton's misgendering of Dr. Levine is the least of his transgressions against the trans gender community.  Paxton's been working double time to  classify gender-affirming care for transgender youth as abuse. Paxton made the pitch and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) swung at it, ordering the state’s Department of Family and Protective Services to start investigating families of transgender youth to root out stop this "abuse". 

If you think it's too extreme to compare this sort of thing to the Gestapo rounding up Jews in Nazi Germany, well, tell to that to the parents of trans-gender youth who live in fear of the knock on the door. 

Those family had a moment of relief when a judge intervened to put a stop to Abbott's order but Paxton immediately fired back on Twitter with "Nyah! Nyah! Nyah!" and declare that he was appealing the judge's decision which means the investigations would continue.   

Paxton's doing all this for the same reason any conservative politician does anything: it makes the evangelical Christian base happy, happy enough to not notice that Ken Paxton is damaged goods.  

Paxton is under open FBI investigations for securities fraud and a complaint alleging Paxton accepted bribes and tampered with government documents. 

Well, who cares? He's doing the Lord's work! 

Meanwhile in Florida....

When Greg Abbott does crazy shit, Florida governor Ron DeSantis says "Hold my beer" and does crazier shit.

"Hey, Greg! So you going after the 'T' in LGBTQ+? Fuck that! I'm going after the whole alphabet!"

H.B. 1557 is the infamous “don’t say gay” bill. It's Republican sponsors claims they're just thinking of the children  to prevent “groomers”—specifically, gay and trans teachers—from attempting to corrupt and indoctrinate children with explicit classroom materials. 

You just can't make kids 8 years old or younger learn about gay sex and gender transition.  

Except....

The language in H.B. 1557 is very vague, allowing for a mass prohibition ANY speech about LGBTQ+ people, families, and issues—not just sex—in every grade. 

To borrow from the old guy who was a substitute teacher in the episode of The Simpsons when the teachers were on strike:  

"Mention  Anderson Cooper is gay? That's a paddlin'."

"Mention  Amy Schneider is trans gender? That's a paddlin'."

In short, the alleged limited goal ("Let's protect the youngin's from gay sex") is hiding under a broadly worded piece of shit legislation that accomplishes the true broader mission of the conservative right to marginalize and silence the LGBTQ+  community.

And don't think this is limited to Florida and Texas. Virtually every state with a Republican led legislature and/or a Republican governor is at some stage of development of similar laws and regulations. 

So is it really a great time for the LGBTQ+  community? Well, it should be. For those with eyes to see and the wisdom to try to understand, people who are LGBTQ+  are our sons and daughters, our co-workers, our fellow citizens. 

Those who are blind from ignorance and fear are more than willing to use whatever power and authority that is at their disposal to make our sons and daughters, our co-workers, our fellow citizens less than who they are. 

By all means, show off those rainbow colors. But for all the gains in understanding and acceptance made since the days of the the Stonewall uprising in June 1969, it is not safe. 

Be careful. Be vigilant.

But do not surrender to fear. 

Let the truth be seen.  

Truth is the best weapon against the darkness of fear and ignorance.  

Let the rainbow shine.

Art by AMY REEDER