The political playbook that unraveled US transgender rights in the past decade
Summary
The article describes a shift in U.S. politics and law around transgender rights over the past decade, contrasting federal opposition to North Carolina’s 2016 bathroom law with newer restrictions in Kansas and Idaho. It says transgender people and issues have faced increased political and cultural attention, while the Trump administration’s second term has taken a more targeted approach than his first.Key Facts
- In 2016, Attorney General Loretta Lynch announced a federal lawsuit to block North Carolina’s HB2, which restricted restroom use based on the sex listed on a person’s birth certificate.
- North Carolina repealed HB2 within a year.
- The article says Kansas and Idaho passed bathroom laws in 2026, and both face court challenges.
- Under Idaho’s law, a first offense involving use of a bathroom that does not match a person’s sex assigned at birth can bring up to one year in jail; a second offense can be a felony with up to five years in prison.
- The article says North Carolina’s 2016 law prompted corporate leaders to call for repeal and led the NCAA to move seven March Madness games out of the state.
- The article cites school and library book bans and the removal of a transgender character’s storyline from a Pixar series in 2024 as examples of cultural changes.
- It says Trump used executive power only a few times to target transgender rights during his first term, while his second term has taken a more targeted approach.
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