Sometimes stepping back can help movements make monumental steps forward.

But the political landscape surrounding the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer communities seems to have stumbled back quite a bit. The transgender population has been particularly tripped up by some scary stuff from local legislatures and national politicians.

“A million steps back,” someone said at the second River City Pride Fest, which was held July 15 on the Riverfront. “Stepping back … to the 1950s,” said someone else.

Peoria Proud doubled the size of this year’s event so people could spread their wings on a beautiful day as they enjoyed a safe space welcome to all. A time to forget about accusations of “woke agendas” and “transgender ideologies” and “sexual grooming” and all the other misinformation out there.

“Terrible steps back,” said Deric Kimler, who is executive director of Central Illinois Friends, which had a stand at Pride Fest and brought its mobile unit that provides testing and health care, free of charge. “Safety is a topic of conversation all the time.”

It’s impossible to fathom that in the year 2023 one can of beer sent to one trans woman in one marketing deal could trigger so much nationwide hate toward one percent of the population. Or is it?

Florida enacted an infamous law that prohibits school teachers from teaching a “gay agenda” that would “sexualize” youngsters and “groom” them into becoming gay, so they say. But that’s not how it works. Why do presidential candidates think that a picture of a same-sex partner in the classroom is advertising “perversions” of homosexuality? Is a picture of a heterosexual husband or wife screaming sex life? No, they do not.

Polly Anna politics

Luckily, an anti-drag law in Tennessee was declared unconstitutional (obviously). Dressing in drag does not steer someone to be queer. But drag shows and story hours can be comforting and help make someone feel safe to be who they are meant to be.

States are looking to ban gender-affirming care even though such care is prescribed to trans people by a doctor and approved by the American Medical Association. Does that include erectile disfunction drugs? Hair plugs? Nose jobs? Breast implants? Hmmm.

Such public ignorance has permeated up to politicians, who don’t realize that the vast majority of drag queens are fully clothed. The “parental rights” crowd ignores the fact that no child is participating in drag story hours without their parents’ consent.

The anti-gay brigade is pulling books off library shelves — and from schools — if they merely acknowledge the fact that there are LGBTQ+ people in this world. Athletes are accused of “turning trans” so they can dominate women’s sports. Preposterous.

Safety and fear

So what’s it like living in central Illinois for LGBTQ+ people? “It’s terrifying, a dystopian reality,” said Debra on the Riverfront. “To be scared to be what we believe in — even our allies, straight White guys, I fear for them.”

Many of those people interviewed at Pride Fest did not feel comfortable revealing their names for fear of consequences.

How did we get here, just eight years after the Supreme Court upheld gay marriage? Well, a much more conservative Supreme Court has cleared the way to discriminate against LGBTQ+ people with one of its latest decisions. “Two steps forward and three steps back,” sing The Strokes.

Ignorance and arrogance is a terrible combo. Indeed, many of the anti-LGBTQ+ viewpoints are simply misinformed. “It’s fear driven,” said someone sitting at the American Civil Liberties Union tent at Pride Fest. “People project their fears. They suspect an agenda. There’s a lot of religious opposition.”

Recognizing gay marriage was supposed to take the religious excuse away from people discriminating against people who happen to be gay … Evidently certain “religious” people have forgotten the Golden Rule. And the only grooming going on is when they say they can pray the gay away.

“With more freedom, people are feeling safe to say things,” Kimler said. “Free to express hatred.”

People are afraid of what they don’t know so they shield themselves behind their antiquated views. It’s easier to push things away than to figure out those fears. They may feel excluded. It can be confusing, what with all the letters and the pronouns.

And — as with any movement — extreme positions can interfere with real progress. But flippantly referring to the transgender community as “genital mutilators” or “chemical castrators” is downright evil. Those things are not happening.

“It’s disheartening,” said Debra’s partner, Molly. “As Professor Xavier said in X-Men: ‘People are scared of what’s different.’ ”

Disinformation

What exactly is the “anti-woke” message some of these people in power are preaching? What is a child with two gay parents supposed to think? What is a young boy curious about being fabulous to do if dressing in drag is treated so taboo? Is the young girl who doesn’t feel right in a dress supposed to suppress?

What can be done? How do we move forward? Luckily local libraries are providing information, holding seminars. Librarians highlight banned or challenged books by putting them on display, confirmed Peoria Heights Library Director Shawn Edwards.

And the folks at the Democratic Party tent confirmed there have been no real local efforts to take books off shelves.

“Let people be,” said Kimler of Central Illinois Friends.

What’s great about a Pride Fest is the happiness that surrounds the event — the smiles. That comforting sense of security that most straight people feel day in and day out.

Edwards promotes the progress the movement has made and doesn’t think the hate is really that great. “The problem is exposure — seeing it magnified on Fox News and other media,” he said.

Media bias is a huge complaint among the community — not only for its hateful nature, but how it can facilitate all theses misguided views.

Most Friends of Dorothy probably do not listen to the right-wing talk radio shows in central Illinois, but what are the queer folk supposed to think if they hear the young radio host say that “the non-binary thing is made up. Everybody knows it,” as his partner affirms? “This is just people who can’t commit to actually being trans, but they still want the adulation. … Essentially it’s a bunch of non-pretty women who want to stand out among their prettier friends.” Huh? Wha?

The danger comes when that partner, who’s made a career out of “rocking with the best” in central Illinois, explains that books geared toward gay students are “part of grooming because you’re desensitizing kids to sex, which opens the doors for groomers. That’s part of how you get a kid … to desensitize them to these things of a place where they will be very much accepted for older people to take advantage of them. That’s one of the signs of grooming.”

You wish he was talking tongue-in-cheek. You plead for parody. You wish this veteran, respected voice of central Illinois radio was lampooning this absurd subject of “grooming.”

But he’s not.

Who exactly are these “groomers”? School teachers? Parents? Politicians? Librarians? Are you kidding?

The show posted a video ridiculing gender-affirming care. These guys are a huge part of the problem because they have a huge voice with massive reach as they perpetuate these myths — and people eat up this garbage.

Hope springs

These arcane beliefs are dying off. And there’s hope for the future. “Children don’t care at all” whether someone is LGBTQ+ or not, Edwards continued.

Live and let live. That’s the United States, right? What’s more American than football players dressing up as cheerleaders and the cheerleaders dressing up like the football players for a high school stunt show? Have fun. Be understanding. Don’t be a jerk.

You do you. They’ll do them.

“I just want to live my life,” Molly said. “Life is like art in a museum. Everybody won’t get it. That’s ok. If you don’t like it, move on.”

— Brian Ludwig is Managing Editor
of The Community Word