This is an administration that has tried to ban transgender troops from serving in the military. This is a country with less than 60% voter turnout in general elections. Marriage equality was only made law three-and-a-half years ago. We have fake news, an elected idiot, and two corrupt major political parties. Police have allowed hate crimes against transgender people for years. But ‘Brutus is an honorable man.’ The Trump administration is trying to erase the existence of transgender people. Am I outraged? No… That is America, land of the free.
The above paragraph, some of you may recognize, is adapted from a speech given by fictional press secretary C.J. Cregg in the 19th episode of the third season of the superb television show The West Wing. The speech’s original content pertained to Saudi Arabia allowing 17 women to burn with their schoolhouse because they weren’t wearing the proper clothing to go outside. The original text can be found here. It struck a chord for me when I realized that I truly wasn’t surprised when news broke that the Trump administration might try to remove protections for transgender people under Title IX, a move against years of court rulings and Obama-era policy that allowed such protections.
I’m not surprised because the only time the religious right (somehow Trump’s base, though that’s a discussion for another time) cares about “””science””” is either (a) when it ‘proves’ Jesus was real or (b) when it says that genetics determine gender and that that means there are only two. Back in reality, of course gender is separate from two measly chromosomes.
The best argument I’ve found against XX/XY = Female/Male is complete androgen insensitivity syndrome, or CAIS. This syndrome causes people with XY genotype to present a phenotype typical of XX, or what is associated with women (vaginas, enlarged breasts, etc.). Many, if not most, when they discover that they have this condition, retain their female identity. They don’t think, “Oh, I guess I’m a man now” — they are women if they identified as such beforehand. This is a plain example of gender identity being completely separate from X/Y chromosomes and gonads.
Whether protections for transgender citizens are provided through Title IX or not in the future (an idea that can be argued, certainly), the Trump administration is working to remove the protections from Title IX without providing a replacement program.
This move simply cannot be allowed. We have worked too hard for too long to let such a ridiculous step backward take effect. Transgender Day of Remembrance is less than a month away. It is a day observed with vigils and readings of a list of names belonging to transgender people killed in hate-motivated crimes in the last year. In 2017, there were more than 250 people named. Lives ended because the world still isn’t ready to accept us. I’m not surprised that the Trump administration is making its bed with bigots and murderers. I’m not outraged. I’m so far beyond outrage.
Usually I’d try to find and provide a reasoned argument against my position, and point out why it’s wrong. There are no such arguments. Removing these protections is plainly and simply wrong. To learn why, befriend a transgender person. Try to understand them and their experiences. I myself am actually agender — a non-binary gender identity, or rather a lack thereof. My time hasn’t come yet, and I know that. But removing the protections for trans people in the binary is a step backwards for all of us. Hell, if you have questions, my mailbox is always open: mdoto@stevens.edu. Educate yourselves, learn that we exist.
#WeWontBeErased
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