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Christopher Rufo, the far right activist who intentionally turned a college-level school of thought to examine social structures for systemic racism into a fear-mongering right-wing nationwide panic, is now focusing his attacks on LGBTQ people, by effectively weaponizing transgender identity.
Rufo, a senior fellow at the right-wing Manhattan Institute, is the man behind the right’s false panic and fury over CRT, Critical Race Theory. He’s bragged he wants to “have the public read something crazy in the newspaper and immediately think ‘critical race theory,’” and “put all of the various cultural insanities under that brand category.”
Now he’s applying that model to attack the LGBTQ community – especially transgender people and drag queens.
Rufo wants the right to turn a commonly used phrase, “drag queen,” one that many people both gay and straight use to refer to themselves, into something “more lurid” and sexual.
“Conservatives should start using the phrase ‘trans stripper’ in lieu of ‘drag queen,’” Rufo said openly Friday on Twitter, despite drag queens not generally being transgender. “It has a more lurid set of connotations and shifts the debate to sexualization.”
He thinks the 1.6 million people across America who identify as transgender should be victims of his weaponization of their very being.
Rufo knows what he’s doing is twisting language into an attack, and admits that when he uses the word “trans” people think “transgender,” but he outright states: “we can say that ‘trans’ is a stand-in for ‘transvestite,’” which is a word not commonly used in decades.
“Drag queens in schools” invites a debate; “trans strippers in schools” anchors an unstoppable argument.
Let the Left try to nitpick the phrase: we can say that “trans” is a stand-in for “transvestite” and we can show videos that are undeniably strip shows.
— Christopher F. Rufo ⚔️ (@realchrisrufo) June 17, 2022
And then he dares the majority of Americans who do not have an issue with transgender people to “engage in language games,” which is exactly what he is doing.
“Trans strippers in schools” is a powerful frame to this debate and, if the Left chooses to engage in language games on that phrase, they will find themselves defending concepts and words that are deeply disturbing to most people. Let them get stuck in the linguistic mud.
— Christopher F. Rufo ⚔️ (@realchrisrufo) June 17, 2022
He even gives away his secret formula, while claiming the left is “very good” at this:
“The trick is to shift the language in a way that is factually accurate and has a plausible claim to neutrality, but attaches a new set of connotations to the concept that shifts the debate in your favor.”
Yale professor Jason Stanley, author of the books “How Propaganda Works” and “How Fascism Works”:
Rufo is also willing to cross moral lines that no US propagandist in recent times has been willing to cross, and this ruthlessness is also key to his particular genius.
— Jason Stanley (@jasonintrator) June 17, 2022
Pushback has been quick. Some are mocking Rufo and others making stronger criticisms, with a frequent theme that seems to be accusing him of telling people to lie:
Christopher Rufo’s whole thing is just randomly tweeting like “conservatives need to redefine broccoli as murder lettuce” https://t.co/19OS9PKYz1
— Steve Morris (@stevemorris__) June 17, 2022
just openly telling the right they should lie in order to manufacture hysteria https://t.co/XO9WxVspWv
— Current Affairs (@curaffairs) June 17, 2022
Most drag queens are cis men in costume doing female impersonation as a form of entertainment. You are fear-mongering about people literally playing dress up.
And it worries me how your mind constantly links children and sex, @realchrisrufo. That’s not normal at all. https://t.co/eAqxlUKMUA
— Leah McElrath 🏳️🌈 (@leahmcelrath) June 17, 2022
We should start using the words “nazis obsessed with childrens’ genitalia” instead of “conservative thought leader.” It has a more lurid set of connotations and shifts the debate to these weirdos’ perverse obsessions! https://t.co/7eb7dB8g1b
— Ben Miller (@benwritesthings) June 17, 2022
An interesting thing about Rufo is instead of just quietly lying about things and pretending to believe them, he shouts from the rooftops, “HEY GUYS LET’S LIE ABOUT THIS. I’LL BET IT’LL BE EASIER TO WHIP UP A HYSTERICAL CULTURE WAR PANIC THAT WAY!” https://t.co/kBHGXlTirA
— Ben Burgis (@BenBurgis) June 17, 2022
Somewhat impressed by how open he is that outright lies and deception are among their most powerful tactics. https://t.co/Q4T50D3UPX
— Sturgeon’s Law (@Sturgeons_Law) June 17, 2022
Rufo, who before he pivoted to being a paid shill for racism and queer bashing was a paid shill for creationism, openly admits to lying and propagandizing to stoke fear and violence.
Will any of the media that credulously puts him on reconsider? I doubt it! https://t.co/mTHhGElcKb
— “Delta-8 Mom” on TikTok and Instagram (@RuckCohlchez) June 17, 2022
Using drag queens to further your goal of genocidal violence against trans people is NASTY work
I do not believe people like Christopher should ever be made to feel safe https://t.co/w4fMZIS2kN
— Terrance… (@iTerryTommy) June 17, 2022
This is evil shit. This motherfucker is outright evil. https://t.co/SVICy98TeS
— The Rude Pundit (@rudepundit) June 17, 2022
This is awful and evil. I encourage you to read this entire thread to see they are saying the soft part out loud — and they don’t care. We are going backwards and it’s scary as hell. I’m proud to know and work w/so many entertainers who are some of the best humans I know. ♥️ https://t.co/ROoThMDxwv
— Jason Matheson (@jasonmatheson) June 17, 2022
What a piece of shit https://t.co/teiLwkFagi
— Roger Sollenberger found true love, suckers (@SollenbergerRC) June 17, 2022
This dishonest creep just keeps telling the world OUTRIGHT how the right plans to attack and smear LGBTQ people. Twitter not only lets him do it, they’ve verified him. https://t.co/9rQWYiuczm
— Charles Johnson (@Green_Footballs) June 17, 2022
Rufo is so blatantly dishonest. Drag queens don’t usually strip and aren’t usually trans.They’re typically straight and gay cis men wearing women’s clothes who sing, dance or act, like Rudy Giuliani did. https://t.co/15UY5K7jZA
— Amy Fried 🌻🇺🇦 (@ASFried) June 17, 2022
These fuckers are literally dreaming up anti lgbtq propaganda out in the open https://t.co/JT6VxT0oVj
— Jason (@JLMillse) June 17, 2022
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