As we race closer to Election Day on November 5, Republican campaigns are focusing their advertisements on the transgender community and consistently implying that the Democratic party takes transgender rights to extremes.
The Trump campaign has reportedly over 17 million dollars to blanket the airwaves with ads that point to Democratic candidate Vice President Kamala Harris’ support of gender affirming-medical treatment for transgender people when she ran for the Democratic nomination in 2019.
Many of these ads are broadcast during NFL and college football games, thereby influencing gender—and cultural—divides with this audience of mostly males.
According to data compiled by AdImpact for NPR, these ads have aired more than 30,000 times, including in all seven swing states.
The issue of sports is a contentious one regarding this topic of transgender rights. Recent NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist polling showed 61% of Americans say transgender athletes should only be allowed to play on teams that match their birth gender.
In close races where topics other than the economy or the border might not move the needle, this particular issue can have a tipping effect because it is such a divisive social issue—particularly as massive, unchecked disinformation continues to swirl on social media and major news outlets.
These ads will continue to air all the way up to November 5.
Guest:
Brad Pritchett is the interim CEO for Equality Texas. Equality Texas is a 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization, serving as the largest nonpartisan statewide political advocacy organization working for the elimination of discrimination targeting the LGTBQ+ community. This work occurs primarily within, but not limited to, odd-numbered years when the Texas Legislature is in session. During the session, Equality Texas works to advance the rights of LGBTQ+ Texans alongside pro-equality legislators and protects LGBTQ+ Texans from legislative attacks.
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This interview will be recorded on Thursday, October 17, 2024.
