document updated 12 years ago, on Jan 13, 2012

Is it inevitable that trans folks become the focus of the next culture war?

The term "culture war"

What do we mean by the term "culture war"? Although it's a squishy term, these are some of the traits I think the term encompasses:

It's something that people feel strongly enough about that they feel their position should be enshrined in law. (bonus points if different sides of the argument feel this way)
It's something that a few people are willing to lose their jobs over. ("If a client is gay, I will refuse to provide them services"; "I'm a pharmacist, but I would rather lose my job than dispense the morning-after pill")
It's something that policitians engage in demagoguery over, for reasons ranging from name recognition ("any press is good press") to voter turnout (firing up the base).

I also think that the culture war is carried out by a relatively small number of people. Although the United States is rather polarized, I don't think there are that many pharmacists who are actually willing to stake their jobs over not dispensing morning-after pills, for instance. There might be a lot of people who are sympathetic to one side or another, but there aren't that many people who directly engage in activity that promotes a culture war.

Similarly, if an issue isn't on many people's radar, perhaps it's only fringe political commentators who engage in demagoguery over an issue, while mainstream policiticians completely avoid it.

Yes — other types of gender-related oppression are already part of the culture war

Gay rights are certainly part of the culture war. (gay marriage, don't ask don't tell, ...)

Regarding women's rights:

The fight over abortion is sometimes couched as a "war against women".
The fight over birth control and sex ed (eg. the fact a significant amount of school funding for sex-ed programs mandated a abstinence-only approach) is considered anti-woman by some.
In previous years, the fight for women's suffrage was divisive. [citation needed]

Examples

Macy's firing of Natalie Johnson on November 30, 2011 [1] [2] [3]
- In response, Tennessee filed a bill to prohibit trans folks from using dressing room or restroom facilities consistent with their gender identity. [1] [2] [3]