Please Stop

To all who continue to use transgender people as whipping boys and girls, scapegoats and targets, I have a simple request: Please stop.

Please stop trying to stir up your followers by spreading lies, fear and hate about the more than one million people in the United States who identify as transgender. A couple of years ago “bathroom bills” were the rage. Although there hasn’t been a single documented instance of a trans person (or as the advocates for these bills would usually refer to them as “men in dresses”) assaulting a cisgender person in a public restroom, these bills proved to be red meat for the people who fear ideas they don’t understand.

We can be thankful that the majority of these bills didn’t pass but we can’t overlook the thousands and thousands of families who were deeply impacted by them. From parents preparing for the possibility of leaving their home and their state, to bewildered, tearful children asking why people hate them, these hateful laws have hit their targets.

There’s still a bathroom bill or two kicking around, but now the focus has shifted to transgender athletes.

The former president, who banned transgender people from serving in the U.S. military, is keeping himself in the public eye, and recently declared that if he regains the office, he will prohibit “men from participating in women’s sports.”

The success of swimmer Lia Thomas has brought this issue to the forefront again. During his speech at a rally in Texas. The former president repeatedly deadnamed Thomas, as well as making provably false statements about her competitive achievements.

This may be a tougher battle for public understanding and support. Despite abundant evidence that transgender athletes do not have a competitive edge, a Gallup poll found that 62 percent of Americans believe transgender athletes should only be permitted to play on sports teams that correspond to their gender assigned at birth, while 34 percent said transgender athletes should be allowed to play on teams that align with their gender identity.

The last decade has brought transgender people greater visibility than ever before; but it’s also brought us more negative attention that ever before.

I’ve had some interesting conversations with a friend who transitioned and went stealth decades ago and has questions about the current era of transgender activism and whether it might cause more harm than good. I understand her thinking, but I don’t agree with it. Until the day comes when ever transgender person can live their lives openly, free of hate and discrimination, we need to continue to lift our individual and collective voices.

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Tags: featured, Transgender

Category: Transgender Opinion