Sometimes, coincidental events can be chilling. On Saturday, I received a telephone call from someone I know who is an ardent supporter of the LGBTQ agenda. On several occasions, he has criticized his state legislature as fascist for drafting and debating several pieces of legislation regarding transgender issues involving surgical procedures on minors, bathroom use, affirming someone’s actual sex, and so on.
During the course of our 13 minute conversation, he inquired numerous times about which church my family attends. This struck me as odd so I demurred, which the caller said he didn't understand. He persisted so I told him the denomination of our church (Presbyterian) and left it at that.
Twenty minutes later, he texted me a photograph of a specific Presbyterian church and asked, “Is this the church you attend?” I deflected the question and called him shortly thereafter. During that conversation, he again insisted on knowing where my family worships, and again I demurred.
This took place a few days after I learned about the Trans Day of Vengeance in Washington, DC March 31 - April 1. The announcement encourages wider participation saying, “If anyone is interested in organizing in their state, please fill out the contact form.” The group also offers a helpful “organizing guide” for those who are new to transgender militancy.
These events were a little disquieting and the next morning while getting a cup of coffee at church, a trusted friend casually asked me how things were going. He noticed something in my reply that prompted him to ask what was wrong. I briefly related to him the events of the previous day to which he responded, “That’s creepy.”
Upon returning home from church, I received an email from another person I know, and who also supports the LGBTQ agenda. The email offered a lengthy denunciation of my position on those issues and my lifelong Christian faith, suggesting I’d been “drawn into a cult.” He concluded by counseling, “open your heart,” and “understand people unlike yourself.”
Eighteen hours after receiving this email, Nashville happened. As I tried to keep up with events and process what had happened, I learned that the friend of a friend, who used to be a pastor at a Dallas church, lost a child in the massacre. She was nine.
I am not suggesting that what happened in my case had anything to do with Nashville. We still do not know all the details of this shocking event but one thing is clear. A young woman was so wickedly disturbed that she committed mass murder. While the nation grieves and hugs its children a little closer in the aftermath of this slaughter, the news media are fretting over misgendering the killer.
Hatred of Christians and their faith takes many forms. So does intimidation of Christians who disagree with transgender ideology. Sometimes, it’s the clumsy browbeating of oddly inquisitive phone calls and angry emails. Sometimes, it manifests itself in the horror of Nashville. While these illustrations represent extremes on the LGBTQ intimidation scale, the common thread that connects them is the demand that we concur. Now, the agitation is escalating.
I cannot precisely account for this escalation but I can observe events. State legislatures across the country are seeing the risks of transgender ideology and passing legislation to ensure that children are protected from it.
The website Them, which promotes itself as a news site that explores, “what it means to be LGBTQ+ today,” provides a pretty good compendium of recent legislative and executive actions at the state level. From Florida to Idaho, Arizona to Georgia, and other states including Indiana, North and South Dakota, Kentucky, Tennessee, Iowa, Mississippi, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas and elsewhere, lawmakers are hearing from their constituents and responding accordingly.
Bills are being passed and laws are being signed for one reason; people are speaking up. They recognize the evil associated with transgender ideology and are taking civic action. It is the American legislative process and it is working.
This terrifies the authoritarian Left. They see this in real time and know they are failing. Badly. Recognizing this reality, and knowing this legislation sprouts from the voice of the people, it would make sense for the losing side to try to intimidate them into silence.
If those who disagree with LGBTQ ideology can be frightened into keeping quiet, it benefits the Left. Whether it’s creepy text photos, demeaning emails, days of vengeance or mass murder, the ultimate intent is to dissuade people from participating in the legislative process.
The Left loves to say silence is violence, but as events horrifyingly demonstrate, it is articulated wrongthink that is punished with violence. The only time authoritarians tell you to be quiet is when someone is listening, and lawmakers across the nation are. I will not be intimidated into silence. I might actually get louder.