New MAP Report Illuminates Far Right's Battle to Control Nearly Every Aspect of Americans' Lives

Amid a continuing onslaught of political attacks on LGBTQ people, abortion access, the right to vote, and much more, the Movement Advancement Project (MAP) released a new report that describes the web of attacks on virtually every area of American's lives, including who people can be, what they can do with their bodies, and how to live their lives.

The report, Freedom Under Fire: The Far Right's Battle to Control America, connects the dots on extremist politicians' attempts to fundamentally remake this country. The report further outlines the tightening restrictions on voting rights that limit the political power to fight back.

"These varied attacks may seem disparate and disconnected, but in fact they are part of a coordinated campaign. The goal is to force all of us into lockstep with far-right extremists' narrow and exclusionary view of the world," said Tessa Juste, a researcher at Movement Advancement Project.

The report details key areas in which the far right's attacks undermine basic freedoms that impact everyone in this country, with examples in each of the categories listed below. These attacks affect nearly every aspect of our lives, including the following:

Restrictions on health care and the right to make decisions about one's body

• Lawmakers want to decide what kind of health care people can receive, including limiting the ability to get an abortion, receive medical care as a transgender person, and access preventative care like contraception and PrEP.

Restrictions on the freedom of ideas and the ability to get a comprehensive education

• Recently passed laws include censor what schools can teach about a range of important topics such as slavery and the Holocaust, and about the contributions of people of color and LGBTQ people. Similarly, the surge in banning books from public libraries and schools limits the ability to learn about topics the far right disagrees with.

Restrictions on the freedom of travel and the ability to be in public places

• Despite an explicit constitutional right to travel freely between states, far right politicians are attacking the ability to travel out of state for medical care, whether seeking an abortion or to receive transgender-related medical care for oneself or for one's child. Additionally, policies like bathroom bans prevent transgender people from safely using the restroom in public places like airports and schools.

Restrictions on accurate legal recognition of people's identities

• Attacks include making it harder, if not impossible, for people to obtain ID documents. This puts transgender people, undocumented immigrants, and others at risk and limits their ability to move through daily life.

Restrictions on freedom of the press and freedom of expression

• Despite the First Amendment as a core principle, attacks in this area include policies that limit and punish free expression and that infringe on freedoms of the press, speech, and protest. Efforts to force journalists to register with the state, to restrict the right to protest, to ban drag shows, and to remove LGBTQ Pride flags from public spaces speak to the pervasiveness of these efforts.

Restricting the right to vote and participate in free, fair elections

• Far-right politicians are attacking the cornerstone of our democracy with a range of restrictions on the right to vote. Targeted efforts disenfranchise younger voters and voters of color and limit people's ability to elect leaders to represent their values. Further, even elected officials who advocate for their constituents' freedoms have been censured, trying to silence them.

"These attacks are a deeply connected part of a broad, coordinated effort to strip people of their basic freedoms and to enact authoritarian state control over American life. The forces behind these attacks want to create a rigid society that conforms to a Christian nationalist worldview that demands obedience and leaves no room for individuality. The reality is that this harms people across all backgrounds, religions, and political beliefs," said Juste.

For additional research and analysis, see the following reports from MAP:

• MAP's 2023 report series, Under Fire: The War on LGBTQ People in America.
• A Silenced Generation: How the Power of the Youth Vote Collides with Barriers to Voting

To schedule an interview with a MAP researcher or for questions please contact Rebecca Farmer at rebecca@mapresearch.org.

About MAP: MAP's mission is to provide independent and rigorous research, insight and communications that help speed equality and opportunity for all. MAP works to ensure that all people have a fair chance to pursue health and happiness, earn a living, take care of the ones they love, be safe in their communities, and participate in civic life. www.mapresearch.org

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