Christian Nationalism, Racial Attitudes, and Opposition to Transgender Rights

• In Event: 50 Years of LGBTQ Scholarship at APSA Mini-Conference: The Global Backlash to LGBT Rights

Abstract

In the first six months of 2023, state legislators across the country filed more than 400 bills targeting transgender individuals – double the number from the previous year (Shin, Kirkpatrick, and Branigin 2023). In the 2022-23 period, anti-trans legislation was often identified by conservative interest groups, candidates, and legislators as part of a broader “anti-woke” legislative agenda that included proposals to limit the teaching of Critical Race Theory (CRT). At the same time, a 2023 national survey by PRRI found that a majority of Republicans either holds Christian nationalist ideas or are sympathetic to those views. The PRRI survey also found that Christian nationalism beliefs are correlated with anti-black, anti-immigrant, and anti-Muslim racism, as well as to patriarchal views of gender roles.

We argue that these phenomena are interrelated in ways that help us understand attitudes toward transgender people and anti-trans policies. Although extant research has found evidence that those with Christian nationalist beliefs are less likely to support same-sex marriage and LGBT political candidates (Whitehead and Perry 2020; Cravens 2023), we know less about how anti-LGBT beliefs may be activated by attitudes toward other groups. We posit that contemporary political rhetoric by political elites about “anti-woke” policies and CRT activate a more generalized outgroup prejudice among those who hold Christian nationalist views.

For instance, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who has successfully pushed for anti-CRT legislation (Stop W.O.K.E Act of 2022) and restrictions on gender-affirming medical care for children (SB 254) has called on “people all over the country to be willing to put on that full armor of God, to stand firm against the left’s schemes” in a 2022 CPAC speech (Ceballos 2022). Historical accounts show linkages between White resistance to desegregation, organizing efforts against gay rights and the Equal Rights Amendment, and the emergence of the Christian Right in the 1970s (Maxwell and Shields 2019; Frank 2013) that are useful analogs for understanding the nexus between Christian Nationalism, white supremacy views, and attitudes about gender and sexuality. Across these issues is a concern with family structure, parenting, and children (Self 2012) that has re-emerged in the discourse surrounding trans rights (e.g., Snow 2023; Waters 2023).

In this paper, we investigate whether sentiment about racial outgroups triggers a stronger reaction to another outgroup, transgender Americans. Using a nationally representative survey fielded in spring 2023, we assess how racial identity and outgroup prejudice interact with Christian nationalism beliefs to affect attitudes toward transgender people and policies targeting the medical care of transgender children.

References

Ceballos, Ana. September 12, 2022. “What message is DeSantis sending with religious ‘full armor of God’ rhetoric?.” Tampa Bay Times. Accessed December 21, 2023.

Cravens, R.G. 2023. “Christian nationalism: a stained-glass ceiling for LGBT candidates?” Politics, Groups, & Identities 11(5): 1016-1040.

Frank, Gillian. 2013. "The Civil Rights of Parents": Race and Conservative Politics in Anita Bryant's Campaign against Gay Rights in 1970s Florida. Journal of the History of Sexuality 22(1): 126-160.

Maxwell, Angie and Todd Shields. 2019. The Long Southern Strategy: How Chasing White Voters in the South Changed American Politics. Oxford University Press.

Snow, Charles. March 28, 2023. “Everything You Need to Know About Parents’ Rights in Public Schools.” Alliance Defending Freedom. Accessed December 21, 2023. https://adflegal.org/article/everything-you-need-know-about-parents-rights-public-schools

Self, Robert O. 2012. All in the family: The realignment of American democracy since the 1960s. Hill and Wang.

Shin, Annys, N. Kirkpatrick, and Anne Branigin. April 17, 2023. “Anti-trans bills have doubled since 2022. Our map shows where states stand.” Washington Post. Accessed December 16, 2023.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2023/04/17/anti-trans-bills-map/

PRRI. February 8, 2023. “A Christian Nation: Understanding the Threat of Christian Nationalism to American Democracy and Culture.” Accessed December 16, 2023.
https://www.prri.org/research/a-christian-nation-understanding-the-threat-of-christian-nationalism-to-american-democracy-and-culture/

Waters, Emma. December 12, 2023. “The Fight Against Gender Ideology Needs Strong Parents, Leaders, and Laws.” Heritage Foundation. Accessed December 21, 2023.
https://www.heritage.org/gender/commentary/the-fight-against-gender-ideology-needs-strong-parents-leaders-and-laws

Whitehead, Andrew L. and Samuel L. Perry. 2020. Taking America back for God: Christian nationalism in the United States. Oxford University Press.

Authors

• Laura P. Moyer, University of Louisville

• Anne I. Caldwell, University of Louisville