These pundits were making the case for the Republican Party and a second term for President Trump. Now, not even two years later, the right has started an all-out anti-gay panic that seriously threatens marriage equality.

Conservatives are hurling insults at innocent gays online. The majority of House Republicans voted against codifying gay marriage at the federal level. Supporters of marriage equality have been accused by Republican candidates of “sexualizing kindergarteners” and being “groomers.”

What happened over the last decade? Is it no longer politically convenient to be pro-equality?

When I ask my more conservative colleagues about this, they point to examples of gender theory being taught in schools. They point to videos from accounts like @LibsOfTikTok and promote the false narrative that LGBTQ people are out to get their children. Even admitting there can be legitimate concerns about some of the more extreme examples, it’s clear I was wrong to believe LGBTQ equality was a “dead issue.”