The fight in Franklin, a city of roughly 85,000 people, echoes earlier battles over LGBTQ acceptance from more than three decades ago and comes in the midst of a nationwide backlash among conservatives against the rights of transgender people to obtain medical care, drag artists to perform in public and LGBTQ people to see themselves reflected in school library books, curricula and the culture at large.
Republicans in state legislatures have introduced a raft of bills targeting LGBTQ rights — an issue that some GOP strategists see as a key to regaining the White House in 2024. Former President Donald Trump launched his re-election campaign with a promise to punish doctors who provide gender-affirming care to minors, which he equated with “child sexual mutilation.”
Support authors and subscribe to content
This is premium stuff. Subscribe to read the entire article.