Anti-science, anti-LGBTQ movements go hand in hand

[Jessica_Rose ✅]

Anti-science, anti-LGBTQ movements go hand in hand

https://www.washingtonblade.com/2026/09/08/anti-science-anti-lgbtq-movements-go-hand-in-hand/ 🔗

Ayman Eckford (8 Sep 2026)

A newborn baby died after contracting measles in Pennsylvania last month, and, as if it wasn't enough grief for his parents, anti-vax activists are trying to track down and harass his family. Apparently, Gov. Josh Shapiro tangled with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. over his "inaccurate and misleading claims."

On Aug. 26, RFK Jr., the secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, declared that the deaths could be fabricated. We live in peculiar times, when it is government officials, not freaks on the internet, who are spreading conspiracy theories. The new spread of measles in the United States since Donald Trump came to power is one of the most shameful parts of the story of modern American politics, and the tragedy of parents who lost their baby because more and more people refused to vaccinate may seem absolutely unrelated to LGBTQ rights, but actually, there is a pretty solid connection.

Because RFK Jr., the same man who was fighting vaccination, promoted the false idea that vaccines caused autism, and even curated the anti-vaccine organization Children's Health Defense before going into politics, is also a known opponent of transgender rights. Under his "leadership," gender-affirming care for trans minors was banned, and there were also created new healthcare guidelines recognizing only two genders.

All around the globe, there is a weird correlation between anti-LGBTQ — particularly anti-trans — ideas and anti-science movements. And it should be clearer to the general public. People who are speaking against LGBTQ rights are not just threatening minorities. They are a danger to everyone.

The Trump-Vance administration is an iconic example of such tendencies.
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@Sarah B

[Liz K]

Yes.  And this is what we get when education is systematically neglected for 50+ years.  If more of our population were well educated, the corrupt politicians running our government never would've been elected.  SMH. 

[Finally Anna]

Liz, it is not only educational. I am sure that the schools and the education in the UK and in the US and wherever, are at least decent. Personally, I don't even think lack of education is the main culprit.

What is certain is that identity politics play an important role. Meaning that anti-wax and probably also anti-trans is a way of identification, a bit like saying "We who are X believe <item of interest>" . You can insert your free choice of political- or moral identity at X and your free choice of item of interest.

Of course, social media plays a very important role here. It will expose us to the things that both affirms and enforces our beliefs and the things that make us reluctant to look at it from another angle.
Idenity politics, distrust of authorities, social media, ... they go hand in hand. If we ask the anti-waxers why they distrust pharma but don't distrust RFK, then I don't think they have an answer that makes sense to us (but it makes sense to them, of course).

But SMH is also my feeling about all of this.

[Lori Dee ✅]

This is what happens when you put a known conspiracy-theorist lawyer in charge of a medical agency instead of a doctor or scientist.

Among Trump's Cabinet members, very few actually have the qualifications for that post. The only qualification that seems to matter is loyalty to the man and his delusions.

We have seen this before in history, but people in general seem to ignore those lessons.