Our Country Fails The Transgender Community. Again.
I just now opened my email inbox and saw the title of a breaking news report.
Trump administration rolls back Obama-era transgender health care protections
I am beyond f*cking irate. Considering it is currently Pride Month, the timing of this announcement only solidifies what I think about his ruthlessness and willingness to do anything to energize his supporters. Words cannot express how much I detest him. He continues to completely unravel the fabric of this country, displaying hatred, ignorance, and complete disregard for anyone other than himself. He doesn’t deserve to be acknowledged by name. But I do have faith that human civility will prevail and that he will soon be rightly overthrown from his unworthy pulpit.
Coincidently, I’ve been watching Pose FX all day today, an amazing TV show that underscores the abhorrent treatment and complete lack of dignity given to those in the trans community, especially trans women of color, during the ’80s and ’90s. Watching this show served as a reminder about the countless transgender souls have been murdered, raped, tortured, abandoned, neglected, and treated as less than for too long. These health care civil rights protections were a big step in validating and protecting those in the trans community from being denied a basic human right. The removal of these protections serves no purpose but to further invalidate an entire community’s existence.
The younger generation has seen many of their peers self-identifying as transgender earlier in their life, self-identifying as trans as a young teenager and even in their pre-teen years. The increasing exposure of social media and the internet to young people has opened their eyes to the possibilities of embracing identities outside of the mainstream, including self-identifying as transgender. However, acceptance and support of transgender youth from their classmates, parents, and family members is still severely lacking if existent at all. Reading about a news story like the one today, which essentially nullifies transgender rights to health care, can have severe consequences on these youth’s sense of self, degrading what hope they have of eventually being acknowledged as their gender identity by the people in their life.
We have to do better.
We need to do better.
When will we do better?
I think a big part of influencing change in how society treats marginalized communities involves education and exposure. By default, humans tend to be wary of other people perceived to be different than themselves, whether it be based on race, ethnicity, skin color, age, sex, or gender identity. The wariness of those we see as different is partly an innate response but can be reinforced and intensified by one’s environment and life experiences. Additionally, many young people live in a social media “bubble”, only interacting with others sharing their own identity, which further cements this “us versus them” mentality. However, I believe that providing a way for young people to relate to marginalized communities and truly empathize with their struggles is key to undoing these instinctual biases. If we educate our youth about the trans community, teach them to accept and validate transgender identities, and provide them with the experience of “walking in their shoes”, I believe change will happen.
To my transgender friends, I am sorry that our government, and more broadly our society as a whole, continues to fail you again and again and again. It saddens me that the way in which we treat each other as human beings continues to be dominated by one’s perceived commonality with another. Although they are few and far between, know that there are angels out there fighting alongside you for the justice, decency, and respect; that is your right.
Know that you are courageous and brave to overcome a lifetime of suffering that society has burdened you with.
Know that you deserve to be and express and show the world who you are.
