It is no mere coincidence that state legislatures, in addition to banning reproductive healthcare, are banning gender-affirming transition procedures for trans people, working to revoke the legal status of marriage equality for same-sex couples, banning classroom discussions of race, gender, and sexuality in the public schools and libraries, and criminalizing drag story hour for children. In addition, many Republican-dominated state governments are limiting access to the ballot box for marginalized populations to ensure continued Republican control of power.
Historian Amanda Tyler defines Christian nationalism as “a political ideology and cultural framework that seeks to merge American and Christian identities, distorting both the Christian faith and America’s promise of religious freedom.” Christian nationalism relies on the mythological founding of the United States as a “Christian nation,” singled out for God’s providence in order to fulfill God’s purpose on earth. Christian nationalism demands a privileged place for Christianity in public life, buttressed by the active support of government at all levels.
Anthea Butler distinguishes, more specifically, the definition of white Christian nationalism: “Simply put, it is the belief that America’s founding is based on Christian principles, white protestant Christianity is the operational religion of the land, and that Christianity should be the foundation of how the nation develops its laws, principles and policies.”
Though I rarely offer comparisons between the German Third Reich’s ascension to power and the contemporary United States – since to do so could trivialize one of the most horrific episodes in human history – I am nonetheless haunted by certain parallels that demand voicing.
I am troubled by multiple similarities between that time not so very long ago and the events transpiring today. I highlight in particular the parallels in Nazi portrayals and understandings of sex, sexuality, and gender with white Christian nationalism’s divisive and brutal agenda that is anti-feminist, anti-reproductive freedom, anti-lesbian, anti-gay, anti-bisexual, anti-transgender, anti-gender nonconforming, and anti-sexuality education in schools.
