Last week, Governor Brad Little showed off his disrespect for gender diversity and the federal statutes that protect our young athletes. Using flagrant showmanship, Little signed an executive order trying to define gender as biological gender–using the heavy weight of government to beat down an entire community of Idahoans. He is no different than the far-right GOP legislature that has scorned and abused our transgender community. This stigmatization has terrible, long-lasting impacts on our kids and the entire trans community.
A politician like Brad Little can be slippery because he can seem like a good-natured son of Idaho wealth. But it helps to pay attention to the people who he takes the greatest pains to please:
These people outlawed abortion in Idaho.
These people want to imprison doctors who give basic reproductive care.
These people want to outlaw women from traveling out of state for healthcare.
These people want to outlaw contraception.
These people don’t want parents to protect children from gun crime.
These people won’t protect children from cults that deny them life-saving medical care.
These people want to tell us what books we should read.
These people call us “pedophiles” if we oppose their anti-freedom attack on libraries.
These people fight to keep the minimum wage low.
These people fight against workers’ rights to organize.
These people don’t want sick people to have medical marijuana.
These people take millions from oil lobbyists and will not support alternative energy.
These people fight against laws to protect Idaho’s pure public waters.
These people complain about forest fires but won’t budget to fight them.
These people want to sell public lands.
These people say climate change is a liberal hoax.
These people call the rioters who desecrated our Capitol on January 6 “heroes.”
These people try to fix their friends’ “problems” by throwing money at them.
These people fix schools by starving them to death.
These people hate that facts refute their worldview.
These people want to censor public colleges and universities.
These people call human rights for LGBTQ people “special” rights.
These people call human rights for people of color “special” rights.
These people are confused.
These people are mean.
These are the people who Gov. Brad Little was talking to this week when he signed an executive order to bully transgender girls and women out of sports. He is them.