How Did Having Babies Become Right-Wing?

AUSTIN, TEXAS—It’s Friday night in Austin, and roughly 200 people are on their way to the Bullock Texas State History Museum to talk about how to make America mate again. This is America’s second annual Natal Conference—sold out at $1,000 a ticket—and, though I wore the orange wristband given to all the reporters present, I was repeatedly mistaken for an attendee.

I suspect it was because I’m visibly pregnant.

On my way into the hall, I encountered ten protesters wearing surgical masks, all apparently in their early 20s. They were holding signs that declared, “NO Nazis in Austin!” and “Natalism Nazism,” and when they saw me approaching, several members screamed at me: “Nazi!”