Democrats continue to obsess about why they lost the 2024 election, despite the obvious (a superannuated president who stepped down at the last minute and a country unhappy about the effects of inflation). In classic fashion, party leaders are looking for a scapegoat for their poor performance, and many of them think theyve found it: transgender rights. I think [the trans athlete question is] an issue of fairness, I completely agree with you on that. Its deeply unfair, California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a would-be presidential candidate, told anti-LGBTQ+ activist Charlie Kirk last March. Rahm Emmanuel, a former Obama aide and Chicago mayor, recently told right-wing broadcaster Megyn Kelly that a man cant become a woman. The Democratic critics say trans rights issues are, in the words of Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-NY), pandering to the far left. Related Democrats think Epstein is their ticket to taking down Trump. They need more than that to win. It shows how out-of-touch they are that they believe that a MAGA-led conspiracy theory is going to be their ticket out of the political wilderness. Not all party leaders agree. Pete Buttigieg says that politicians shouldnt be involved in decisions about trans athletes, least of all politicians in Washington trying to use this as a political pawn. But Buttigieg seems to be in the minority. The party seems haunted by a huge Trump ad buy in the last week of the campaign that criticized candidate Kamala Harris with an implicitly transphobic tagline: Kamalas for they/them. President Trump is for you. Democrats scrambling to find a way back from the political wilderness have convinced themselves that the issue is a distillation of all of their problems with identity politics. Dive deeper every day Join our newsletter for thought-provoking commentary that goes beyond the surface of LGBTQ+ issues Subscribe to our Newsletter today The message is: Stop with the identity politics, Rep.Greg Landsman (D-OH) told Politico. To the far left and the far right, stop with identity politics.Good luck stopping the right wing, which has made feasting on racial, sexual, and religious grievances its reason for being. (Indeed, its interesting to note that no one in the media talks about evangelical Christians as identity politics but instead as a party base.)So just how much impact did trans rights have on the 2024 campaign? The answer seems to be, not much. Even The New York Times, which has come under fierce criticism for its coverage of trans issues, acknowledged as much in reporting last month on the Democrats handwringing: Although there is no evidence that transgender rights was a top issue for most voters in 2024, Democratic strategists believe that these attacks did have an impact. In other words, the party has no evidence, but thats what some folks want to believe. When attacked, Democrats immediately go on the defensive. Theyre inclination is to grant that the other side has some merit, and to give some ground in response. Or simply fold altogether and try to absorb the blows. What Democrats arent good at is fighting back, as the partys anemic response to Trumps assaults on democracy has proven.All the Democrats who are complaining about trans rights are doing is lending credibility to the administrations arguments. Rahm Emmanuels remarks can be used as justification for expelling trans service members. Talking about LGBTQ+ rights as far left is exactly the rhetoric that the right employs. For example, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said that allowing gays and lesbians to serve in the military was part of a Marxist agenda.Also missing from the criticism of the over focus on trans rights is any sense of what Buttigieg says is a critical component for dealing with the issue: compassion. Instead, the critics seem intent on throwing trans people, especially trans kids, overboard as rapidly as possible without the least concern about what the impact might be on them. The real problem for Democrats is that by getting so wrapped up in trans rights, they are avoiding the real issue. A lot of voters see the party as elitist. They do not think that Democrats understand them or the pressures that they are under. You can cringe at the idea that anyone would think that Donald Trump would be the one who does, but he sold himself that way, and people chose to believe him.Thats in large part because Trump portrays himself as a populist (with an authoritarian bent). He has set himself up as the champion against a corrupt system that empowers the elite at the expense of the common people. Given his own behavior, this is laughable, but its what people are hungry for.And its what Democrats havent given voters. Instead, they are caught in a mindless debate about an issue that they shouldnt shrink from. Its not that hard to blast Republicans for wanting to get between a child and a doctor. Its not hard to attack the administration for its attack on patriotic service members or its cruel passport policy. If anything, its a sign of just how spineless the Democrats are that only 82 House members signed a letter complaining about the passport policy. At the same time, Democrats need to be hammering Trump on all the things that make him a populist icon. And heres the thing: we need to tell people your cost of eggs, your health care being denied, your homeowners insurance, your lack of getting warning on tornadoes coming has nothing to do with someones gender, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) has said. Walz said that backing away from support on trans issues was a mistake.The Democrats need to rely on principles more than polls. For a lot of people including a lot of Democrats the party only seems to stand for collecting money and perpetuating a system where only the top tier thrives. The political landscape is undergoing a dramatic change. Democrats need to stop using trans people as scapegoats for the partys problems and figure out how to adjust to a new political reality.Subscribe to theLGBTQ Nation newsletterand be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.