Anti-trans campaigners using similar tactics of anti-abortion movement, says report

The right's attack on transgender Americans will not abate. To the contrary, I think it will escalate. Media Matters just published just how the right will attempt to smear trans people and gender-affirming healthcare.  They are using the same tactics as the anti-abortion movement

I'm going to condense and summarize, but feel free to read the full article as well the links cited (which are not present in my summary). Take this guide to heart, memorize it, and share it. Trust me when I say you are going to need it:

As threats against trans people, particularly trans youth, and abortion access mount, anti-LGBTQ activists are adopting decades-old media tactics from the anti-abortion movement. 

1. Tactic: Pushing extremist rhetoric through right-wing media allies 

Anti-abortion movement: Prime-time host Bill O’Reilly tormented abortion providers during his reign on Fox, amplifying violent rhetoric and publicly naming providers. Most notably, O’Reilly frequently targeted Dr. George Tiller for his work providing late-term abortions and repeatedly referred to him as “Tiller the baby killer.”

Anti-LGBTQ extremists: Tucker Carlson, Fox News’ most watched evening host and arguably the face of the cable network, has recently led the network’s campaign against trans people, regularly lobbing attacks against gender-affirming care. In one segment, Carlson lauded a group that launched a harassment campaign against a children’s hospital providing care for trans youth.

2. Tactic: Courting sympathetic coverage from mainstream national outlets

 Anti-abortion movement: Before the Supreme Court reversed Roe, mainstream outlets had long treated reproductive health as a political football, trivializing the issue and embracing “both sides” framing in covering abortion extremism. 

 Anti-LGBTQ extremists: Anti-LGBTQ activists have also taken to mainstream outlets to spread transphobia on an even wider scale. Major TV news outlets have failed to adequately cover the legislative onslaught of bills targeting queer Americans. For instance, when an extreme anti-trans bill was introduced in Alabama, mainstream TV ignored the story, picking it up only after the legislation had passed and giving a friendly platform to the bill’s proponents.

3 .Tactic: Publicizing personal information about adversaries 

Anti-abortion movement: In the 1990s, anti-abortion extremists developed an online resource known as the Nuremberg Files, distributing the personal information of over 200 abortion providers and publicizing their photos, addresses, and family members. According to Cosmopolitan, “When Dr. Barnett Slepian, an abortion provider in Buffalo, New York, was assassinated in 1998, the Nuremberg Files drew a line through his name.” 

 Anti-LGBTQ extremists: Anti-LGBTQ extremists have launched aggressive harassment campaigns against schools, libraries, and children’s hospitals while publicly soliciting donations to sustain the momentum. Faced with these threats, hospitals providing lifesaving medical care for trans people are scrubbing their websites of valuable information to protect their patients and staff, creating barriers to access for individuals seeking gender-affirming care.

4. Tactic: Co-opting images for nefarious uses and promoting pseudoscience 

Anti-abortion movement: In an effort to scare the public and stigmatize abortion care, anti-abortion activists have used manipulative graphic imagery and discredited studies. Anti-choice groups have often shared these unsettling images of “aborted fetuses” on social media without repercussion. Junk science has continued to spread post-Roe as anti-choice outlets rushed to discredit abortion medication and contraceptive drugs, 

Anti-LBGTQ extremists: In their attempts to delegitimize gender-affirming care, anti-LGBTQ figures are co-opting manipulative imagery and pushing junk science. Conservative media figure Matt Walsh promoted his anti-trans documentary by using a shirtless photo of a trans man without permission, leading the man depicted to ask Walsh to remove his images. . . Deceptive pseudoscience has also been employed by right-wing media and think tanks to demonize gender-affirming care despite the reality that this care remarkably improves the mental health and well-being of trans and nonbinary youth. 

5. Tactic: Vilifying Planned Parenthood 

Anti-abortion movement: As the country’s largest provider of abortions, Planned Parenthood has experienced decades of right-wing attacks. For years, the bad-faith group Center for Medical Progress has falsely asserted that Planned Parenthood sells fetal body parts. 

Anti-LGBTQ extremists: Anti-LGBTQ activists launched a smear campaign against Planned Parenthood and its chain of nationwide medical clinics because of resources the nonprofit provides for LGBTQ individuals. Outlets such as The Federalist, Breitbart, and The Daily Wire have condemned Planned Parenthood’s options for gender-affirming care and LGBTQ support.