Content Warning: This article discusses hatred toward the LGBTQ+ community, Transphobia and suicide.
Since the start of 2023, conservative state politicians have proposed, and in some cases, made law, over 400 bills directly targeting the LGBTQ+ community, especially Transgender individuals.
These bills range from restricting who can receive gender-affirming care to prohibiting public expression of gender non-conformity such as drag performances and preventing Transgender people from changing legal documents to reflect their identity, according to the American Civil Liberties Union.
The bills in question are an attack on basic freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution of the United States and will undoubtedly harm the future of the country if they continue to be made law. Their adoption into state legislature is a pathetic attempt by members of the Republican Party to dictate who deserves freedom — a concept they claim to support wholeheartedly, but in reality, only use as a prop to justify their intolerant beliefs.
Every day, a new bill is proposed or progresses through legislatures seeking to outlaw the lives of Transgender people, under the guise of “protecting children from indoctrination.”
As someone who has been open about being Transgender since I was a sophomore in high school, this motivation is weak at best. I was not told to be Trans. In fact, I was actively discouraged from being open about it by members of my family. I was told repeatedly that if I were to come out, change my name and expression, and god forbid, be proud of it, my life would only grow more difficult.
I cannot speak for all Trans people and under no circumstances attempt to do so here. But it is utterly ridiculous to assume that sharing such a delicate aspect of your identity is a choice an individual takes lightly. It is clear from these bills that the backlash one could face from coming out as Trans is extraordinary, even to the point of devastating violence or even death.
A 2021 study from the Williams Institute at the University of California, Los Angeles School of Law found that Transgender individuals are “over four times more likely than cisgender people to experience violent victimization, including rape, sexual assault and aggravated or simple assault.”
Being openly Trans is unfortunately an opportunity for bigoted individuals to harass and berate someone for simply existing. Every year, dozens of Trans people are killed because of their identity. The Human Rights Campaign documents the deaths that they can, but there are ostensibly many more that go unreported.
This begs the question: What tangible harm does a person deciding to change how they dress, or the name they go by, actually do? Despite what proponents of these bills say, the answer is none.
For Trans children, whom many of these bills target directly, either by preventing school staff from using their chosen name and pronouns or even requiring teachers to out students to their parents if they choose to be open about their identity, these bills are devastating to their development and can prevent them from achieving a successful future.
Outlawing the expression of a person’s gender does not make it go away. It only prevents the individuals who need it most from receiving the support that is so vital to living authentic, sustainable lives. Without this support, Trans children are more likely to attempt suicide or self-harm.
The Trevor Project, an organization dedicated to suicide prevention for LGBTQ+ youth, found in a 2022 survey on mental health that more than half of Transgender and nonbinary youth had seriously considered suicide in the past year, and nearly one in five had attempted suicide.
These statistics are horrifying, but unfortunately a reality of the current political landscape we live in. As more and more politicians tout anti-Trans bills and allow them to become law, these numbers will only increase.
It is a disservice to the future of this country to allow these bills to continue being enacted. In order for America to make progress and achieve its full potential as a beacon of democracy, we must come together in opposition to legislation that seeks to eliminate a group of vibrant, diverse people from public life.
Call your representatives, senators and any government official you can to let them know the overwhelming effects these bills will have, and are already having. Even in a blue state like Massachusetts, these bills can gain traction. Just because it’s not affecting you directly now doesn’t mean it won’t in the future.
You have a voice, use it.
The Trans Formations Project has a database of bills targeting Transgender individuals across the country, as well as contact information for representatives to contact to voice opposition to these bills.
The Trevor Project: 1-866-488-7386
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
Crisis Text Line: Text HOME to 741741
