The Rise of Ron Desantis & Anti-queer Hate

I believe that the most significant queer historical event of my lifetime has been the passage of queerphobic and anti-trans legislation starting with Ron Desantis’ Parental Rights in Education Act, more commonly known as the “Don't Say Gay” law.  The election of Trump gave people with conservative views to openly take a “more traditional” stance on political issues.  Ron Desantis was one of those people; an avid supporter of Trump who went on to become the face of the movement to demonize and legally attack queer (particularly trans) people in the United States.  Since that fateful 24th of Thursday in February 2022 when House Bill 1557 passed in the Florida House of Reps, there has been a drastic uptick in the amount of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation, especially in conservative states.  There have been over 525 bills introduced across the country that target and/or stigmatize queer people, and this number only continues to rise every day.  This legislation has had devastating effects on the US queer community: people who were already out are losing access to vital resources and closeted people are far less likely to feel safe enough to openly express their identities.