Opinion | The truly disgusting attacks on children in Alabama

Featured Opinion

Alabama politicians spend a lot of time attacking transgender people, and trans kids, while barely uttering a word about the real monsters

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Published on October 13, 2026 at 8:11 am CDT

The other day, a longtime Republican lawmaker in Alabama, state Representative Brett Easterbrook, from Escambia County, was arrested during a human trafficking sting.

According to multiple press releases from various agencies, Easterbrook had engaged in a conversation online with a person he believed to be an underage prostitute. During that conversation, Easterbrook agreed to pay $500 for sex, and then he drove to meet that underage girl at a hotel in Atmore. There, of course, he found law enforcement agents waiting for him.

All of this is alleged, of course, and all people, regardless of accusation or public standing, are considered innocent until proven guilty. Even so, these are serious alleged crimes involving children—so serious that Easterbrook is facing a felony charge of human trafficking, which is applied in this case because trafficking of children is so often facilitated by the acts of selling those children for sexual encounters.

It is a serious situation, particularly taken in light of so many instances of child sex crimes that have occurred recently all around this state. From politicians to preachers to coaches to teachers to law enforcement agents themselves, there seems to be a never-ending onslaught of cases involving child sex abuse of one form or another. The willingness of so many adults to abuse their trust and take advantage of the innocence of children is at an all-time high, it appears.

And so, naturally, the chairman of the Alabama Republican Party, Scott Stadthagen, issued a blistering commentary on, and warned people about … transgender people.

<Insert a deep sigh here.>

This despite there not being a single recorded instance in this state—at least, none that I could find, despite a fairly extensive search—of a transgender person being arrested for or accused of child sex assault, child abuse, sexual assault or just regular ol’ assault.

Because that seems to be the answer to every issue for Republicans.

Data centers?

Transgender athletes are coming!

High grocery prices?

Watch out for those transgender furries!

Crazy gas prices because of a stupid war?

Schools are letting kids have sex changes at lunch!

It’s a level of stupid that has rarely been achieved in American politics. Even in Alabama.

And when you actually take a moment to think about it, it’s incredibly gross. Especially when you consider that many of the derogatory things said are being directed at children. Children that are statistically the most likely group of people in America to commit suicide—a point that cannot be unknown to Republicans at this point.

But that hasn’t stopped the incredibly demeaning and cruel comments directed at them by Republican politicians. Not because trans kids have committed crimes. Not because trans people have put anyone in danger. Not because trans people have tried to do anything other than simply exist.

Only because vilifying trans people is politically expedient. Or, more to the point, only because yelling about trans people and turning them into villains is a brainless, spineless way to cover up the fact that you have absolutely no real ideas for governing.

Even worse, it also exposes the fact that these politicians do, in fact, have the ability to crusade against certain people, and draw attention to certain situations, but instead of using that ability to protect children who are actually in danger, they’re doing this.

Because if anyone truly wanted to protect kids, we would have some investigations into why it is so many kids seem to be suffering abuses of all sorts, but particularly sexual abuse, at churches. At church camps. At church day cares. At church retreats.

Oh, don’t get all weepy on me. Do this: Google up the words “Alabama church sexual assault.” Then, Google up these words: “Alabama transgender sexual assault.”

Then I’d like for you to go into a quiet room and think about what you’ve just learned. And ask yourself some very tough but necessary questions.

Because on one side of that Google experiment is case after case of the most horrific crimes you can imagine against children. On the other side is story after story of Alabama politicians attacking transgender people.

Maybe in this age of the Republican president using the full power of his office to block the release of files exposing one of the nation’s most prominent child sex trafficking rings I shouldn’t expect more. Maybe I should expect the rank-and-file voters—the average conservatives, the churchgoing throng in this state—to make excuses for real attacks on children while getting all riled up over imaginary threats.

But it sure is disgusting.

Josh Moon is an investigative reporter and columnist. You can reach him at [email protected] .

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