Reject fear-mongering of transgender people

Have you seen the latest political stunt by President Donald Trump? I’m talking about his administration’s plan to strictly define gender as assigned at birth and make changing that identification impossible later in life.

Why does it matter?

Well for starters, science and history tell us that a strictly binary identification of gender at birth is wrong. Throughout the animal kingdom gender is fluid. Non-binary, gender fluidity is found in numerous cultures, including many Native American and Pacific Islander cultures.

The American Medical Association and the American Psychological Association tell us that this strict identification is harmful to both physical and mental health. Nearly 50 percent of all transgender people will attempt to take their own lives. This is compared to less than 5 percent of the general public.

The APA firmly believes that gender dysphoria — when emotional and psychological identity is opposite to one’s biological sex — is to be constructively fostered in order to find ways for a transgender person to live a healthy and happy life.

Further, this regulatory move will roll back advancements in transgender rights and protections, especially regarding Title IX and employment. Over the last 30-plus years, federal regulations and court cases have sought to enhance these protections. These enhancements were in line with much of the western world and just simply said that a person, especially a youth, should have equal access to educational activities, health care and even the military.

So why do I say that this is a political stunt?

Let’s be honest, lack of understanding most often leads to fear. History is riddled with examples of humans having what we now would call an irrational fear about the world around them. Trump and his administration are masters of capitalizing upon this lack of understanding and fear. They’re fully aware of the ability to motivate a block of voters based on their irrational fears. Homophobia and transphobia, however, are not new tactics. They have been part of the playbook of social conservatives for decades.

My only hope is that voters see through this latest attack on a minority and reject Trump’s capitalization of fear at the expense of one group. Transgender folks are among the bravest and most resilient people I have ever met. They have and will survive political shenanigans, but we should demand better from our political leaders. We should demand, not regression of, but advancements of equality for the trans community.

This story was originally published October 23, 2018 at 7:59 PM.