Gillian Branstetter's guest appearances

Gillian Branstetter

Know Your Enemy

SHOUTBOX

Rebecca Traister

Peter Thiel

John Ganz

Jamelle Bouie

Allan Bloom

Sarah Jones

Ross Douthat

Leon Neyfakh

Samuel Goldman

Chris Lehmann

DAVID ADLER

Marshall Steinbaum

Hannah Gais

Shuja Haider

Brandy Jensen

OwlTail

Gillian Branstetter (of the ACLU's Women’s Rights Project and LGBTQ &amp; HIV Project) returns to Know Your Enemy for an episode on the strange case of Ron DeSantis: what is his ideology and vision for America? And why do his political aspirations involve inflicting wanton cruelty upon LGBTQ children and adults in his home state? For our sins, we read DeSantis's new book — a campaign book, though he has not yet formally announce his presidential run —  The Courage to Be Free: Florida's Blueprint for America's Revival. (You heard it here: it sucks.) Along the way, Gillian provides an update on the conservative war on so-called "gender ideology" and "wokeness," how organizations like hers are fighting back, and why superficial expressions of sympathy for trans people by major corporations and banks — which so outrage the right — are themselves a trap and a means of evading real justice.  We also discuss Sam's New York Times piece on DeSantis as an anti-woke technocrat, an embodiment of the twin cults of expertise and meritocracy, even as he disavows and demonizes the "ruling class" and it's irksome cultural mores. Finally, we identify the violent underpinnings of DeSantis's political impulses, discussing his alleged involvement in detainee abuse at Guantanamo Bay. As Gillian summarizes DeSantis's worldview, “It’s just cold efficiency and shared enemies. That’s what he’s selling. It’s like getting a moral lecture from a gun."  Sources:Gillian Branstetter, "The Gender War Is A Forever War," The Autonomy, Mar 5, 2023.— "When Biology Needs Some Help," The Autonomy, Feb 9, 2023.Ron DeSantis, The Courage to Be Free: Florida's Blueprint for America's Revival, Feb 2023Sam Adler-Bell, "The One Thing Trump Has That DeSantis Never Will," NY Times, Apr 10, 2023.Adrian Daub, What Tech Calls Thinking: An Inquiry into the Intellectual Bedrock of Silicon Valley, Oct 2020.Zack Beauchamp, "Ron DeSantis is following a trail blazed by a Hungarian authoritarian," Vox, Apr 28, 2022. Angelo Codevilla, "America's Ruling Class," The American Spectator, Jul 16, 2010. Jasper Craven, "The Sunshine Imperium: The militarism of Ron DeSantis," The Baffler, Mar 2023.Daniel Luban, "The Belligerent: Angelo Codevilla and the ideological origins of the New Right," The Baffler, Oct 2022. Wendy Brown, In the Ruins of Neoliberalism: The Rise of Antidemocratic Politics in the West, Jul 2019.Joseph Darda, The Strange Career of Racial Liberalism, Mar 2022. Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò, "Identity Politics and Elite Capture," Boston Review, May 7, 2020.Michael Kranish, "DeSantis’s pivotal service at Guantánamo during a violent year," Washington Post, March 19, 2023....and don't forget to subscribe to Know Your Enemy on Patreon for access to all of our bonus episodes!

Gillian Branstetter (of the <a href="https://www.aclu.org/bio/gillian-branstetter" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">ACLU's Women’s Rights Project and LGBTQ &amp; HIV Project</a>) returns to Know Your Enemy for an episode on the strange case of Ron DeSantis: what is his ideology and vision for America? And why do his political aspirations involve inflicting wanton cruelty upon LGBTQ children and adults in his home state? For our sins, we read DeSantis's new book — a campaign book, though he has not yet formally announce his presidential run —  The Courage to Be Free: Florida's Blueprint for America's Revival. (You heard it here: it sucks.) Along the way, Gillian provides an update on the conservative war on so-called "gender ideology" and "wokeness," how organizations like hers are fighting back, and why superficial expressions of sympathy for trans people by major corporations and banks — which so outrage the right — are themselves a trap and a means of evading real justice.  We also discuss Sam's New York Times piece on <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/10/opinion/trump-feud-ron-desantis.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">DeSantis as an anti-woke technocrat</a>, an embodiment of the twin cults of expertise and meritocracy, even as he disavows and demonizes the "ruling class" and it's irksome cultural mores. Finally, we identify the violent underpinnings of DeSantis's political impulses, discussing his alleged involvement in detainee abuse at Guantanamo Bay. As Gillian summarizes DeSantis's worldview, “It’s just cold efficiency and shared enemies. That’s what he’s selling. It’s like getting a moral lecture from a gun."  Sources:Gillian Branstetter, "<a href="https://autonomy.substack.com/p/the-gender-war-is-a-forever-war" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Gender War Is A Forever War</a>," The Autonomy, Mar 5, 2023.— "<a href="https://autonomy.substack.com/p/when-biology-needs-some-help" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">When Biology Needs Some Help</a>," The Autonomy, Feb 9, 2023.Ron DeSantis, <a href="https://www.harpercollins.com/products/the-courage-to-be-free-ron-desantis?variant=40977857544226" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Courage to Be Free: Florida's Blueprint for America's Revival</a>, Feb 2023Sam Adler-Bell, "<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/10/opinion/trump-feud-ron-desantis.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The One Thing Trump Has That DeSantis Never Will</a>," NY Times, Apr 10, 2023.Adrian Daub, <a href="https://us.macmillan.com/books/9780374721237/whattechcallsthinking" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">What Tech Calls Thinking: An Inquiry into the Intellectual Bedrock of Silicon Valley</a>, Oct 2020.Zack Beauchamp, "<a href="https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2022/4/28/23037788/ron-desantis-florida-viktor-orban-hungary-right-authoritarian" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Ron DeSantis is following a trail blazed by a Hungarian authoritarian</a>," Vox, Apr 28, 2022. Angelo Codevilla, "<a href="https://spectator.org/americas-ruling-class/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">America's Ruling Class,</a>" The American Spectator, Jul 16, 2010. Jasper Craven, "<a href="https://thebaffler.com/salvos/the-sunshine-imperium-craven" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Sunshine Imperium: The militarism of Ron DeSantis</a>," The Baffler, Mar 2023.Daniel Luban, "<a href="https://thebaffler.com/salvos/the-belligerent-luban" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Belligerent: Angelo Codevilla and the ideological origins of the New Right</a>," The Baffler, Oct 2022. Wendy Brown, <a href="http://cup.columbia.edu/book/in-the-ruins-of-neoliberalism/9780231193856" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">In the Ruins of Neoliberalism: The Rise of Antidemocratic Politics in the West</a>, Jul 2019.Joseph Darda, <a href="https://www.sup.org/books/title/?id=34391" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Strange Career of Racial Liberalism</a>, Mar 2022. Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò, "<a href="https://www.bostonreview.net/articles/olufemi-o-taiwo-identity-politics-and-elite-capture/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Identity Politics and Elite Capture,</a>" Boston Review, May 7, 2020.Michael Kranish, "<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/03/19/ron-desantis-guantanamo-bay-force-feeding/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">DeSantis’s pivotal service at Guantánamo during a violent year</a>," Washington Post, March 19, 2023....and don't forget to subscribe to <a href="https://www.patreon.com/knowyourenemy" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Know Your Enemy on Patreon</a> for access to all of our bonus episodes!

Ron DeSantis Wants to Make America Florida (w/ Gillian Branstetter)

Matt and Sam talk to Gillian Branstetter,  press secretary for the National Women’s Law Center, about the spate of anti-trans laws sweeping the country: What do these interventions do? Who is pushing them? And why? The American right has long been invested in policing gender boundaries, but its fixation on trans people — and trans children, in particular — has  become more acute in recent years. Over 100 anti-trans state-level measures have been passed this legislative session alone, including athletics bans, curriculum/book bans, religious refusal laws, and bans on access to health care. Perhaps most alarmingly, states like Texas are instituting policies that equate gender-affirming care with child abuse, terrorizing  trans kids and their families. With Gillian's help, we explore the conservative forces behind these bills and reveal the ideological fixations, misapprehensions, and contradictions driving this panic. It's a difficult but necessary conversation.If you'd like to help fight the right's anti-trans onslaught,  consider donating to The Trans Justice Funding Project.  Further Reading: J David Goodman, "How Medical Care for Trans Youth Became ‘Child Abuse’ In Texas," NY Times, March 11, 2022Melissa Gira Grant, "The Groups Pushing Anti-Trans Laws Want to Divide the LGBTQ Movement," The New Republic, Feb 17, 2022. Jeremy W Peters, "A Conservative Push to Make Trans Kids and School Sports the Next Battleground," NY Times, Nov 3, 2019. Judith Butler, "Why Is the Idea of ‘Gender’ Provoking Backlash the World Over?" The Guardian, Oct 23, 2021.Jules Gill-Peterson "The Anti-Trans Lobby’s Real Agenda," Jewish Currents, Apr 27, 2021.— Histories of the Transgender Child, UM Press,  2018. ...and don't forget to subscribe to Know Your Enemy on Patreon to listen to all of our bonus episodes!

Matt and Sam talk to <a href="https://nwlc.org/staff/gillian-branstetter/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Gillian Branstetter</a>,  press secretary for the National Women’s Law Center, about the spate of anti-trans laws sweeping the country: What do these interventions do? Who is pushing them? And why? The American right has long been invested in policing gender boundaries, but its fixation on trans people — and trans children, in particular — has  become more acute in recent years. Over 100 anti-trans state-level measures have been passed this legislative session alone, including athletics bans, curriculum/book bans, religious refusal laws, and bans on access to health care. Perhaps most alarmingly, states like Texas are instituting policies that equate gender-affirming care with child abuse, terrorizing  trans kids and their families. With Gillian's help, we explore the conservative forces behind these bills and reveal the ideological fixations, misapprehensions, and contradictions driving this panic. It's a difficult but necessary conversation.If you'd like to help fight the right's anti-trans onslaught,  consider donating to <a href="https://www.transjusticefundingproject.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Trans Justice Funding Project</a>.  Further Reading: J David Goodman, "<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/11/us/texas-transgender-youth-medical-care-abuse.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">How Medical Care for Trans Youth Became ‘Child Abuse’ In Texas</a>," NY Times, March 11, 2022Melissa Gira Grant, "<a href="https://newrepublic.com/article/165403/groups-pushing-anti-trans-laws-want-divide-lgbtq-movement" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Groups Pushing Anti-Trans Laws Want to Divide the LGBTQ Movement</a>," The New Republic, Feb 17, 2022. Jeremy W Peters, "<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/03/us/politics/kentucky-transgender-school-sports.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">A Conservative Push to Make Trans Kids and School Sports the Next Battleground</a>," NY Times, Nov 3, 2019. Judith Butler, "<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/commentisfree/2021/oct/23/judith-butler-gender-ideology-backlash" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Why Is the Idea of ‘Gender’ Provoking Backlash the World Over?</a>" The Guardian, Oct 23, 2021.Jules Gill-Peterson "<a href="https://jewishcurrents.org/the-anti-trans-lobbys-real-agenda" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Anti-Trans Lobby’s Real Agenda</a>," Jewish Currents, Apr 27, 2021.— <a href="https://www.upress.umn.edu/book-division/books/histories-of-the-transgender-child" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Histories of the Transgender Child</a>, UM Press,  2018. ...and don't forget to subscribe to <a href="https://www.patreon.com/knowyourenemy" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Know Your Enemy on Patreon</a> to listen to all of our bonus episodes!

The Anti-Trans Agenda (w/ Gillian Branstetter)

EPISODE 5 - GILLIAN BRANSTETTER &amp; TRANS EQUALITYOn today's show we talk to Gillian Branstetter, Media Relations Manager for the Washington DC based NATIONAL CENTER FOR TRANSGENDER EQUALITY, about a variety of issues facing Trans folks in America, including the pending and critically important "Title VII" civil rights case appearing before the Supreme Court on October 8th 2019, working to uphold protections for Trans persons from being fired, simply for being Trans.For those unaware, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 has traditionally protected #LGBTQ folks nationwide from workplace discrimination, even if they work in states that do not presently offer those protections, and the law is presently under attack from the present administration, and we are thrilled to hear how organizations across the country are working together to help protect and expand #TransRights!Gillian works tirelessly to help share and connect folks to the most current information regarding issues faced by transgender people today, including health care access, employment protections, identification documents, and many more. She additionally works with transgender people from around the country to promote their stories and ensure news coverage of their experiences is both accurate and fair. To learn more about Gillian and the National Center for Trans Equality, please visit https://transequality.orgPlease rate today's program, share your comments, and send us questions, feedback, or your own personal stories at: shoutbox@kaiharding.com. (or visit us at: www.KaiHarding.com/shoutbox)Today’s program was recorded by Matt Sauro at Bam Studios (www.bamstudios.com). The program was edited and mixed by Sven at Blue Box Studio, and our show's theme music was written and performed by Melody Jane Wachtel of the band This is a Stickup!

EPISODE 5 - GILLIAN BRANSTETTER &amp; TRANS EQUALITY On today's show we talk to Gillian Branstetter, Media Relations Manager for the Washington DC based NATIONAL CENTER FOR TRANSGENDER EQUALITY, about a variety of issues facing Trans folks in America, including the pending and critically important "Title VII" civil rights case appearing before the Supreme Court on October 8th 2019, working to uphold protections for Trans persons from being fired, simply for being Trans. For those unaware, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 has traditionally protected #LGBTQ folks nationwide from workplace discrimination, even if they work in states that do not presently offer those protections, and the law is presently under attack from the present administration, and we are thrilled to hear how organizations across the country are working together to help protect and expand #TransRights! Gillian works tirelessly to help share and connect folks to the most current information regarding issues faced by transgender people today, including health care access, employment protections, identification documents, and many more. She additionally works with transgender people from around the country to promote their stories and ensure news coverage of their experiences is both accurate and fair. To learn more about Gillian and the National Center for Trans Equality, please visit <a href="https://transequality.org" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://transequality.org</a> Please rate today's program, share your comments, and send us questions, feedback, or your own personal stories at: shoutbox@kaiharding.com. (or visit us at: <a href="http://www.KaiHarding.com/shoutbox" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.KaiHarding.com/shoutbox</a>) Today’s program was recorded by Matt Sauro at Bam Studios (<a href="http://www.bamstudios.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.bamstudios.com</a>). The program was edited and mixed by Sven at Blue Box Studio, and our show's theme music was written and performed by Melody Jane Wachtel of the band This is a Stickup!