One inspiration for starting Freedom Democrats is queer history. Gays and lesbians were subjected to active hostility after World War II.

The Lavender Scare was more than a moral panic; it fed popular feelings of disgust about unnatural behavior, frequently summed up in the notion of “sin.” By the time the Cold War ended in 1990 and a treatment was found for AIDS, the dismissals from  jobs and hostile verbal attacks had become signs of bigotry and backwardness. The last decade of the 20^th century marked a transition in queer history. More and more of the public came to accept lesbians and gays.

During the ‘90s as local governments across the United States recognized that LGBTQ+ people were active in public life and had tens of thousands of supportive friends, queers lost their stigma.

So great was the acceptance that the public shrugged its shoulders and accepted the truth that it is nothing unusual. Some people are gay or lesbian; others aren’t, so what. The well-read came to accept that this was a fact throughout history.

The queer community was extended to include bisexuals and transgender persons. Medical advances that also made abortions safer allowed the transgender persons to alter their gender. While the queer community accepted the deep desires that led people to reject the division of humans into men and women, hostile people have attacked gender-bending.

Evangelical religious people and their conservative allies simply know too many lesbians and gays to feel comfortable attacking these queers, not so for the transgender. Phony issues like “strong men” joining women’s sports teams were used to incite hatred. Meanwhile, stories about the murder of trans people have become a weekly event. Clearly the trans community is stigmatized and must struggle to obtain the general acceptance, however grudgingly, offered lesbians, bisexuals, and gays.

 At the same time, queers whatever their gender choices, have insisted on supporting their gender-bending cousins. Elected officials offer support while others attack trans persons. It has become a political football frequently separating Democrats from Republicans. Just as they have done with abortion, the hostile officials try to interfere with the medical treatment available to persons who question their gender.

Although they often skirt the question, hostile politicians treat trans persons as mental defectives. Parents and physicians are accused of abusing trans adolescents. That teenagers sincerely wish to change their gender is considered foolish. Adults who help adolescents explore their gender are labeled abusers. Those who recognize these wishes as heartfelt don’t get credit for listening to and loving young people; they get treated like they were harming their own children. Those members of the public hiding behind the language of abuse feel no compunction about passing laws to interfere with the doctor-patient relationship and forbidding parents and teachers from working with children in a positive manner.

Obviously, Freedom Democrats will support the trans community in its fight against violence and hostility. The trans community is not trying to allow men in women’s bathrooms or help men gain an unfair advantage in women’s sports. Nonetheless, these tropes are circulated widely, and trans individuals and their friends and family are forced to respond to invented issues. It is unfair and another chapter in the cruel history of prejudice and bigotry.

I have been rightly criticized for not highlighting the harsh views spreading across the country. For this, I am truly sorry; I have neglected what should be a main purpose of Freedom Democrats—welcoming trans persons and their family and friends and protecting their well-being, jobs, and livelihood.

Obviously, Freedom Democrats would welcome trans persons to their weekly parties and rise up in anger when trans persons are attacked. Parents should feel welcomed and able to look to Freedom Democrats for support. The medical community also deserves Freedom Democrats’ support.

Sad to say hatred keeps finding new ways to stay alive. The trans community, sex workers, drug users, porn watchers, and porn performers all deserve community support to end the stigma that too often forces them to feel shame about their identity.