By Sarah Holliday
The Washington Stand
Now that the 2024 presidential election is in the past, Democrats have been pointing fingers as to who (or what) is to blame for the defeat of Democratic nominee Kamala Harris. Some have claimed the vice president’s emphasis on transgender ideology was what doomed her campaign. A single Trump campaign ad, “Kamala is for they/them. President Trump is for you,” is said to have moved voters 2.7 percentage points to the Right, according to a Harris super PAC, Future Forward.
The election results proved that Trump’s slogan resonated far better with voters — especially considering that he won the popular vote, the electoral vote, and all seven battleground states. But the question some Christians and conservatives have now isn’t about the past but the future. Can Americans expect to see a decrease of LGBT activism under the Trump administration? According to David Closson, director of Family Research Council’s Center for Biblical Worldview, it’s unlikely.
On Friday’s episode of “Washington Watch,” Closson and former Congressman Jody Hice discussed their predictions for the future of LGBT activism under Trump’s leadership. “[I]t really is a mess,” Closson pointed out. However, “when you … look at what’s happening, [especially] as Christians wanting to … look at it from a worldview angle, it’s good to take a step back … and realize the issues that are kind of being debated and discussed right now … are issues of the created order.” They’re ontological, he added, in that they deal with the study of being and existence. When it comes to LGBT ideology, it’s “actually quite basic. Male and female [He created] them. This goes to the first pages of the Book of Genesis.”
But as Closson went on to emphasize, these “basic” matters have been distorted in such a way that “shows … just how far the extreme Left has pushed the Democratic Party.” In recent years, the Left has made transgenderism one of their primary areas of focus as they try to push men into women’s sports and private spaces. It’s become a widespread controversy, and more people have been speaking out against it. As Closson said, this is “a good thing.”
He explained: “I want both political parties to understand that there are only two genders. I want both political parties to be in favor of policies that protect the intimate spaces of girls and women. I want both parties to be against cross-sex hormones, puberty blockers, and surgeries for minor children who are confused with their gender.” Ultimately, “I hope that the conversation taking place on the other side of the aisle leads to rethinking some of these positions, getting in line with the created order.” Hice agreed, stating, “It never ceases to amaze me that we’re even having this discussion.”
But is it possible that in the next four years “the Left [could] walk back some of these extreme positions?” Hice asked. “Or are they going to just keep pressing in?” First, Closson emphasized that “for the sake of a flourishing civil society,” he hopes so. And yet, he added, “I’m doubtful.” Closson pointed out the fact that there are numerous examples of the Left “doubling down” on their push the more people oppose their ideology.
Even on MSNBC, Closson highlighted how contributors like Joy Reid, among other Democrats, label LGBT issues as “civil rights issues.” This is “how they view … the whole LGBT moral revolution,” Closson urged, and “so I don’t think we’re going to see much of a reconfiguring of the position.” But “for the sake of human flourishing in this country, I hope the Left will reconsider. But just even based on the kind of response to the situation we’re talking about now … I’m not hopeful.”
In comments to The Washington Stand, he offered some encouragement for Christians and social conservatives to “remain vigilant, even as a more friendly administration takes power in January.” As he said, “It is worth noting that the election outcome demonstrates that a majority of Americans appear to be with us on issues related to transgenderism. President Trump’s campaign ads on biological men competing against biological females and taxpayer-funded surgeries for transgender inmates obviously resonated with tens of millions of Americans.”
Closson emphasized that “we have an opportunity to continue to press our case on this issue as well as others, [because] there are more people with us on this issue than perhaps we realized” leading up to now. “When President Trump takes office, conservatives will have unified control in Washington, D.C., and this is an opportunity that we ought to take advantage of because these opportunities do not come around very often.”
“This is not a time for a vacation,” he concluded, “but a time to do the hard work of convincing our friends and neighbors of the positions we hold, particularly those that are informed by biblical morality.”
Originally published at The Washington Stand!
