Night 1: Setting the Tone

If the first night of the RNC was meant to be a gentle warm-up, someone forgot to tell the speakers. Instead of easing into their message, they dove headfirst into the deep end of anti-trans rhetoric.

Leading the charge was none other than Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, who seemed determined to turn the Easter Bunny into a culture-war mascot. Greene bemoaned the coincidence of Transgender Day of Visibility falling on Easter Sunday in 2024, apparently unaware that calendars are not, in fact, a liberal conspiracy. “They promised normalcy and gave us Transgender Visibility Day on Easter Sunday,” Greene declared to a chorus of supportive boos.

But Greene wasn’t content to stop there. She followed up with the bold theological claim, “There are only two genders, and we are made in God’s image.” One can only imagine the confusion this statement caused among the angels, who are now presumably questioning their celestial gender identity.

Not to be outdone, Representative John James of Michigan used his speech to touch on the tired transphobic trope of “biological males” sharing “playing fields” and “changing rooms” with “our daughters.” At the same time, Wisconsin Senator Ron Johnson rounded out the night by labeling LGBTQ-inclusive education as “sexual indoctrination.” Johnson, in one of the clearest rebuffs to the idea that this was a convention of “unity,” went so far as to declare this type of education a “clear and present danger to our institutions, our values, and our people.”

Night 2: Doubling Down on Division

If anyone hoped the second night might tone down the rhetoric, those hopes were dashed faster than you can say “traditional family values.” The RNC seemed determined to prove that when it comes to anti-LGBTQ messaging, too much is never enough.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, fresh from his battles against the terrifying menace of drag queen story hours, railed against trans people in the military and in schools, and trotted out the now-familiar “Define a woman” challenge.

Not to be left out of the fun, Tim Sheehy of Montana, running for Senate against Jon Tester, echoed the same talking point, while also making a crack about how “Sheehy” “are also my pronouns” (get it? “she/he”?).

Night 3: The Hits Keep Coming

Night 3 proved that when it comes to attacking trans rights, the GOP believes the only way out is through.

Donald Trump Jr. treated the audience to a greatest-hits compilation of right-wing talking points: “Left-wing activists are pretending to be educators, teaching our kids that there are 57 genders, but they can’t even define what a woman is! On one hand, they think free speech protects their right to expose your children to explicit drag shows. On the other hand, they want to put you in jail for making a meme.”

Not to be outdone, Representative Matt Gaetz took the stage to reminisce about the good old........

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