THE GAY AGENDA
The Hypocrisy of the Republican Party and Religious Right: A Distorted Narrative on Child Predation
The Republican Party and religious right have falsely accused transgender people and drag queens of endangering children, despite no evidence. Meanwhile, data and criminal cases show that many actual predators come from within their own political and religious circles.
March 22, 2025
Image Courtesy of Zoe Schacht and Colorado Newsline
Image: Elliot Page, Creative Commons
Image: Drag Queen reading to kids -Creative Commons
Image Courtesy of Zoe Schacht and Colorado Newsline
USE ARROWS TO MOVE THROUGH IMAGES
By Michael Fox
For years, the Republican Party and the religious right have led an aggressive campaign against transgender people and drag queens, accusing them of posing a threat to children. Prominent conservative figures and right-wing media outlets routinely claim that these groups are involved in grooming or child predation, despite a complete lack of evidence to support these assertions. Instead, statistical data and numerous criminal cases indicate that the real predators often come from within the very institutions and political circles leading these attacks: Republican officials, priests, and pastors.
Conservative politicians and religious leaders have weaponized the rhetoric of child safety to push anti-LGBTQ+ legislation. Across the country, states have introduced bills banning drag performances, restricting transgender rights, and censoring LGBTQ+ content under the guise of protecting minors. Groups like Moms for Liberty, a far-right parental rights organization, and media outlets like Fox News fuel this hysteria, equating drag performances and gender-affirming care with child abuse and exploitation.
However, when pressed for evidence, proponents of these accusations fail to provide a single documented case in which a transgender person or drag performer has been found guilty of child molestation as part of their identity or role in the LGBTQ+ community. Meanwhile, a long and horrifying pattern of abuse has emerged from religious institutions and within the ranks of the Republican Party itself.
The reality of child predation runs rampant with Republican officials and religious leaders. While conservatives have worked to demonize LGBTQ+ people, a startling number of Republican politicians and religious figures have been convicted of crimes against children. Here are just a few examples:
Image: Elliot Page, Creative Commons
Ralph Shortey, a former Republican state senator from Oklahoma, was sentenced to 15 years in prison for child sex trafficking after being caught with a 17-year-old boy in a motel room.
Dennis Hastert, the former Republican Speaker of the House, admitted to sexually abusing young boys when he was a wrestling coach. He was sentenced to 15 months in prison for financial crimes related to hush money payments to his victims.
Roy Moore, a former Republican Senate candidate in Alabama, faced multiple credible allegations of sexual misconduct with minors, yet was still supported by much of the party.
Mark Foley, a former Republican congressman, resigned in disgrace after it was discovered he had sent sexually explicit messages to underage congressional pages.
Matt Gaetz, a former sitting Republican congressman from Florida, has been investigated for allegedly paying for sex with a 17-year-old girl and transporting her across state lines. While he has not been formally charged, reports suggest the Justice Department gathered substantial evidence linking him to the crime.
The trend extends beyond politics into religious institutions, where sexual abuse scandals involving clergy have rocked the Catholic Church and Protestant organizations alike. A 2019 report from the Houston Chronicle and the San Antonio Express-News revealed that over 700 victims had accused Southern Baptist pastors and church leaders of sexual abuse over a span of 20 years. Meanwhile, the Catholic Church’s history of covering up child sexual abuse by priests is well-documented, with thousands of cases surfacing across the globe.
Despite these damning revelations, conservative politicians continue to deflect from the real dangers facing children. Laws targeting LGBTQ+ communities are introduced under the pretense of child protection, yet these same lawmakers often remain silent when abuse is discovered within their own ranks. The Catholic Church and evangelical organizations have historically lobbied against LGBTQ+ rights while harboring sexual predators within their clergy.
This calculated strategy serves two purposes: it distracts from the abuse happening within religious and political institutions while also rallying the conservative base around a manufactured enemy. By focusing attention on drag queens reading books to children at libraries, they divert scrutiny from the widespread sexual misconduct that has occurred within churches and conservative political circles for decades.
Image: Drag Queen reading to kids -Creative Commons
The consequences of this hypocrisy are severe. LGBTQ+ individuals, particularly transgender people, already face high rates of discrimination, violence, and mental health struggles. By falsely portraying them as predators, conservatives are not only endangering their lives but also diverting attention away from real threats to children’s safety.
Meanwhile, victims of abuse within religious institutions and conservative political spheres are often ignored or silenced. Many survivors struggle for years to have their voices heard, especially when their abusers hold positions of power. The Republican Party and the religious right’s relentless focus on LGBTQ+ people as scapegoats only makes it harder for actual victims to seek justice.
The Republican Party and the religious right’s claims about child safety are not rooted in reality but in a long-standing tradition of demonizing marginalized communities to serve their political agenda. Time and again, it is Republican politicians and religious leaders—not drag queens or transgender individuals—who have been exposed as actual perpetrators of child abuse. If society truly wishes to protect children, it must turn its focus away from baseless moral panics and toward holding those in power accountable for their crimes.
The real question remains: How long will Americans allow this hypocrisy to persist?
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M
About the author
Michael is the operations manager at Metromode Magazine. He helps in overseeing the production of content for both print and digital editorial. He grew up in Denver where he spent most of his time writing or playing music as a band geek. He attended college where he graduated with a combined music and creative writing degree. Then, in a life altering move, Michael moved to Asia for a few years. He settled back in Denver and has a passion for international and intercultural subjects.