When they say, "Make America Great Again," this is what they mean.
I recently bought a copy of Out of the Closets: Voices of Gay Liberation (1972). Tucked inside was the card pictured below.
The West Side Discussion Group was a splinter group from the Mattachine Society of New York. Mattachine was among the first homophile groups in the country. WSDG separated from them because they felt the leadership was too radical.
The WSDG was just what the title implied. They held weekly meetings, socialized, discussed, and hosted guest speakers. They were the older, more conservative alternative to the bar scene. That is, they had more to lose if they were outed.
Hence the "How to Handle Blackmail" flyer.
This is part of the insidiousness of forcing queer people into the closet. Besides the psychological trauma, you are susceptible to blackmail. The card advocates for standing up to larcenists, claiming that law enforcement will be on your side. While I agree with the former, I have grave doubts about the latter.
This is what those who are attacking affirming health care for trans people want. They want to make us vulnerable. They want to intimidate trans kids with threats. They want parents of trans kids to be so afraid that they turn from what is in the child's best interests. Where do you go when your neighbor can turn you in for protecting your kid? Whom do you trust when state government becomes the extortionist?
This was daily life for lesbian, gay, bi, and trans people just fifty years ago. It's why the gay rights movement started. Because it's intolerable and unjust. This is what they want to go back to. This is what "great again" means to them.
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