and how our debates have just devolved into sort of trolling
one another, trading on that fear and hate.
>> Republican candidates have run attack ads like Eric Hovde
slamming Tammy Baldwin over what he calls her radical agenda,
allowing men to compete in girls sports. He's not alone. In the
final days of the 2024 campaign, the Trump campaign is also laser
focused on attacking Kamala Harris on transgender rights in
an ad blitz and on the campaign trail, Kamala supports states
being able to take minor children and perform sex change
operation, take them away from their parents, perform sex
change operation and send them back home. Of course, this is a
lie. It does not happen. In an opinion piece in the Journal
Sentinel this week. Our next guest said, quote, politicians
should know better than to attack people, especially
children. Abigail Swetz is executive director of Fair
Wisconsin, an advocacy organization for the LGBTQ
community and she joins us now. Abigail, thanks very much for
being here. Thank you for the invite. So as to the idea of
children going off to school and coming home with transition
surgery, does that happen? >> Absolutely not. It is a lie.
And I'm glad we're calling it a lie because it is not only
untrue, it is meant to deceive and frankly, divide and create
distrust with our with our educators and our medical
professionals. And I find that lie absolutely disgusting.
>> How do these ads and statements affect people for
whom you advocate? >> So to understand the impact
of the ads, I think first we have to realize that they are
ethically wrong because they are dehumanizing and lies and
frankly, a ridiculous distraction. And that kind of
hateful language. It does have a cost. It has an emotional cost
because turning people into issues and weapons does have an
impact that is quite dangerous on the LGBTQ plus community and
frankly, on everyone, because I think it has this impact of
eroding empathy. And that is really dangerous. And as an
example of this impact, actually. So I just want to say
I am a member of the LGBTQ plus community, but I'm not trans,
and it is incredibly important to always center trans voices in
this conversation. And it is not okay to always make trans and
nonbinary people defend their own existence. And so it is
incredibly important for the rest of us to also show up and
support the editorial you mentioned. I co-wrote it with a
dear friend of mine who is trans. I am here because in that
editorial you probably noticed my friend used their initials
out of out of a safety concern and that is incredibly
important. It sort of distills down the impact we're talking
about. >> So the 2024 Republican
platform states they will oppose, quote, left wing gender
insanity, trying to make inroads with voters by focusing in on
these transgender rights. What's the play there in your mind
politically? >> Walz it's a really good
question. I'm not sure I'm the right person to ask it to,
though. I would love someone to ask them that question because
they seem to think that attacking trans people is a
winning issue. And I'm here to say that as voters, we cannot
let that be true. We cannot let it work. They are trying to use
an identity as a wedge issue to divide and confuse, and it's
just a distraction that we cannot let them let them take
advantage of on that. >> What is your message to
voters who are deluged by these ads and rhetoric?
>> My message is, my message is that I think we all need to hold
a few truths in our hearts when we're seeing this kind of
deluge. It's the right word. We have to remember that these are
not issues and these are not weapons. Trans people are people
who deserve respect. Trans children are children who
deserve love and support and trust. They are not weapons. And
as LGBTQ plus people, we've been turned into issues against our
own will by politicians who are trying to scare you to vote a
certain way by using your neighbors against you. Because
trans people and trans children are your neighbors and your
friends. And we in the LGBTQ plus community care about a lot
of issues those that target us and those that don't. Those are
the ones that we should really be paying attention to. Like
housing affordability and reproductive justice. Those are
the issues that everyone cares about, and we're part of
everyone, too. >> So how important is the LGBTQ
plus voting bloc? >> Well, we're not a monolith.
They'll definitely start with that. But we are pretty
numerous. I'd say their best estimate about 250,000 voting
age, LGBTQ plus people in Wisconsin. So while we
definitely don't vote as a full unit, we could really make a
difference in an election in a state where we know the margin
of victory is about 20,000 votes pretty often. So I think it's
important when we are going around as fair Wisconsin talking
to voters, we're hearing those intersectional needs. People are
caring about so many things that impact us, often
to remember that our vote reall, really matters.
>> What kind of fears do you have that that vote could be
swamped by inciting fear of harming children.
>> I fear beyond just voting when it comes to the rhetoric
we're seeing, because rhetoric just has a it has an impact and
emotional cost, but it also turns into hateful policies. And
those policies also have a very detrimental effect.