Research/Study
The right is attacking trans people as part of its “critical race theory” political tactic
A county school board meeting exploded into chaos as members discussed trans inclusion and how to teach about race
Published
Right-wing media figures on Fox News have been lumping together their obsessions with “critical race theory” and trans people, particularly children, as they seek to weaponize both into political cudgels against Democrats in advance of midterm elections -- while advancing dangerous laws that harm teachers and students.
GOP operatives and think tanks have turned “critical race theory,” an academic field examining systemic racism and its impacts on society, into a manufactured controversy as part of a strategy -- bolstered by months of obsessive right-wing media coverage -- to sensationalize local debates over how to teach about race in schools. Similarly, right-wing media in recent months has increasingly targeted transgender people, particularly trans athletes, and health care for trans youth. The right has sought to make both issues into political and cultural wedge issues in advance of upcoming elections -- all while pushing a wave of legislation across the country discriminating against trans people or preventing teachers from freely discussing race in the classroom.
Those right-wing attacks on trans youth and “critical race theory” culminated on June 22 in a school board meeting that ended in chaos in Loudoun County, Virginia. Members of the public held up signs and disrupted the board, with at least one man arrested and another person injured. The meeting was regarding “a proposed policy on the treatment of transgender students — as well as how schools should teach about race.” According to NBC Washington: “The proposed policy would affect staff use of transgender students’ names and pronouns; transgender students’ access to sports, restrooms and locker rooms; and training for school mental health professionals.”
The school district had also commissioned a 2019 report as part of efforts to create more equity for students of color, including recommendations asking the schools to condemn “white supremacy, hate speech, hate crimes, and other racially motivated acts of violence.” The school district superintendent has noted that critical race theory is not taught in the school district.
A violent escalation involving both trans issues and race is no surprise; Fox News has been conflating the topics in its coverage for months.