It’s very strange to me to see how people now seem to be using death of author to completely disconnect the artist from their work in terms of culpability or consequence. I used to never see it as anything but meaning of a work is not beholden to author intent, whether due to author intent being unknown or the meaning transcending author’s own intent or even it betraying the author.
This is just straight up rightwing transphobic conspiracy theory. If there is political dialogue in US hyperfocusing on a “hyper-niche” issue it is because of conservatives who revolve their life around bodies of trans people, yet somehow the “rival psyops” isn’t existence of said conservatives who make legislation in entire states that affect 1 or 2 trans people but existence of trans people who “suddenly realized they are trans”.