The Transgender Scare: McCarthyism for the 21st Century
Are we reliving the McCarthy era? In this episode, we connect the dots between Joseph McCarthy’s 1950s Red and Lavender Scares and today’s attacks on transgender people. Just as McCarthy fueled fear and persecution of suspected communists and gay people, today’s right-wing movement uses the same playbook—demonizing transgender Americans to consolidate political power.
We explore how fear-driven narratives have been recycled, from baseless accusations of “communist infiltration” to today’s rhetoric portraying transgender people as threats. Along the way, we examine the role of groups like the…
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