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The GOP is evil but not stupid. The whole strategy of using high school girl's sports as the wedge against trans people is horrifically brilliant. 
In rural areas there aren't very many resources to dedicate to school activities and there usually isn't enough students to go around, either. So schools have to make tough choices about which activities get attention.
For example, practically *every* school in the southeast has a football team. Why football? Because College Football is HUGE. Universities make a lot of money off of it so they are incentivized to constantly scout new players from high schools.
The high schools, wanting to give their students the best possible post-graduation opportunities with the resources they have fund football because they know that football players have a higher chance of getting a scholarship, especially from a state school.
So there's the entire culture around non-pro football that causes all kinds of (good and bad) effects.
So what's this got to do with trans people and girl's sports?
So what's this got to do with trans people and girl's sports?
Well, since football is so big, considerably less resources are given to women's sports. They don't draw in as much money and they don't present as many scholarships for students. Girls generally have to look at other programs for scholarship opportunities.
Despite that, public mindshare ties sports directly to college opportunities- people think that the better the sports, the better the chances of post-graduation success.
And here's where the GOP sees an opportunity to stir shit.
And here's where the GOP sees an opportunity to stir shit.
By framing it so that trans girls are jeopardizing the opportunities for other girls they are creating an existential threat to a core part of rural culture.
Liberals can often be really dismissive about rural culture, especially stuff around sports- but by dismissing they miss the opportunity to understand and connect. The GOP knows this and uses it as a very effective tactic.
It's not about "fairness", it's not about concern for girls' safety, it's not about scholarships, it's not about religion, it's not about bathrooms or locker rooms, it's not about any of that shit. It's about *power*.
This whole focus on trans people is the GOP stirring shit to capture voters on an emotional level. If they spin the story of liberals making an existential threat then they become the "obvious" choice.
Emotion beats logic every time, so the GOP could rob these people blind as long as they're convinced that liberals would do worse to them.
