Gay Panic Is Back — And So Is the Anti‑Trans Playbook

Queer 101 with Peppermint · Mar 10, 2026 · 42m

Hey y’all it’s me, Peppermint- This week Hugh and step away from their usual queer art and literature focus to process an escalating political moment hitting queer people—especially trans communities.

We discuss Shia LaBeouf invoking a “gay panic/Twinkie defense” after violence at Mardi Gras, connecting it to long-standing excuses for harm against queer and trans people.

Then the conversation turns to Kansas revoking driver’s licenses for trans residents, the risks of disenfranchisement ahead of the election, and broader moves around voter ID, passports, prisons, and forced detransition…