Please note: this thread is aimed at transphobes who consider themselves progressive. The "I agreed back then too!" tossers can stay in the trashbin of history with the avowed racists. (And the "progressive" transphobes should take a good look at those fellow travelers.)
"Moral panics are often centered around people who are marginalized in society due to their race or ethnicity, class, sexuality, nationality, or religion. As such, a moral panic often draws on known stereotypes and reinforces them." https://www.thoughtco.com/moral-panic-3026420
"[Claims] that there is actually an “epidemic” or “plague” of this kind of thing (medical language and metaphors are often used at this stage) so that it is increasing in frequency to a crisis level." https://www.aier.org/article/the-anatomy-of-a-moral-panic/
As an aside, Wikipedia's entry on moral panic has a section on the "LGBT grooming conspiracy theory", with a link to a separate article devoted to that topic. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moral_panic
Comments
https://www.thoughtco.com/moral-panic-3026420
https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/wicked-deeds/201507/moral-panic-who-benefits-public-fear
https://www.aier.org/article/the-anatomy-of-a-moral-panic/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moral_panic