All through history we see social panics, whether we're talking the innumerable rape panics, the pogroms, the Salem witch trials, McCarthyism ... all it takes is one person to start that ball rolling, and then the herd behaviour drives that fear to into hyperbole and hysteria.

No, this is not how 'it' starts. Since Handmaid's Tale was released in 1985, gay marriage has been legalized pretty much across the western world, including several US states in recent years. Marijuana has been legalized in multiple nations and states.  Singular protection for gays, lesbians, transgender, minorities, etc. have been directly inserted into our Charter. Immigration levels in western nations have done nothing but rise, and racial tolerance has risen with it. I shouldn't have to illustrate how the Canadian restaurant scene is no longer anywhere near as 'white bread' as it was in 1985, should I? Roe v Wade will be 45 next year.

Trump can't even pass an EO without a court challenge. Get a grip.