Building the Trans Compromise that Will Get Off the Ground
The agreement of at least some trans people is crucial
Many people correctly see that the way to end the culture wars over trans issues is to find a sensible compromise. Some have even written detailed proposals of what that compromise might look like. Many of those proposals look very good on paper, in that both trans people and the other concerned parties often get most (though not all) of what they want. However, none of these proposals have gotten off the ground, which is why the culture wars continue to rage on. I think most of us can agree that, the longer these culture wars go on, the more harm will come to trans people as well as the wider community. Importantly, there will also be potentially irreparable harms to things like free speech, rational debate, scientific objectivity, and ultimately individual liberty more generally, as with all kinds of culture war politics. Therefore, we have good reason to want a compromise proposal to succeed, before it’s too late.
I believe the reason that these proposals have been unsuccessful is because they haven’t got the agreement of enough trans people behind them. One factor, in turn, explains this: fear. Fear that anti-trans forces will take away their medical care, and their right to do what they need to relieve their gender dysphoria, are driving trans people into the arms of radical activists, who promise to support trans rights (even while doing things that would harm trans rights in mainstream politics). What people need to understand is that this fear is driven by gender dysphoria. It is therefore a very basic, biological drive that is similar to the fear of going hungry, or the fear of being physically harmed. This is why there is absolutely no way to get trans people on board a compromise proposal, without first alleviating these fears, by guaranteeing their ability to get relief for their gender dysphoria.
The recent rise of Trump-DeSantis style right-wing culture war politics is making things worse. The Republican-aligned wing of the anti-woke movement has been promoting a biased view of trans people and trans issues, and stoking moral panics that have justified the introduction of countless anti-trans bills, mostly in red states across America. These developments have been spun into a narrative of ‘trans genocide’ by radical activists, comparing the current moment to early Nazi Germany. A surprisingly high number of trans people now believe in that narrative. This is why many trans people now see the political landscape as a battleground for their basic rights, where any compromise could be giving ground to the enemy. Liberals and moderate conservatives who propose compromise are seen as akin to those who advocated an appeasement policy towards fascism back in the 1930s.
The trans community generally see the right-wing culture war campaigns as aiming to shut down their access to health care and other basic rights. Unfortunately, even I have to agree with them at least to some extent, even though I don’t agree with the ‘trans genocide’ narrative. Just in the past year, several culture warriors having made it clear that they want to restrict or even ban medical transition for everyone. This is why, if someone talks about fairness in sports one day, and sings praises of the What Is A Woman film the next day, most trans people will see them as suspect, and with very good reason. You can’t blame trans people for refusing to listen to someone who actively aligns with those who want to seriously hurt them.
While there are real issues around how to accommodate trans people in society, and potential impacts on other parties, that need to be sorted out, politicizing these issues is not the answer. Fairness in sports, rules around single-sex spaces, and how to deal with young people who present to clinics with gender dysphoria are all legitimate topics of discussion, and I strongly support free speech on these matters. However, we must call out those who are creating emotionally charged moral panics around these issues, and weaponizing them as political footballs within a bigger culture war agenda. It is these people who are preventing the kind of rational, respectful and scientific discourse we need.
This is why those who believe in discussing the aforementioned legitimate issues around trans accommodation must dissociate themselves from the culture warriors. And any proposed compromise solution must include taking a stand against attempts to erode the basic rights of trans people, especially around health care and personal expression.
Originally published at https://taraella.substack.com on February 27, 2023.
TaraElla is a singer-songwriter and author, who recently published her autobiography The TaraElla Story, in which she described the events that inspired her writing.
She is also the author of The Trans Case Against Queer Theory.
