Okay, one more post about *THIS* and I’ll lay off for a bit.
Maybe.
Despite what this looks like, this is not meant to be a Republican vs Democrat post, so please refrain from that type of rhetoric in the comments.
Here are the facts:
The “Don’t Say Gay” legislation in Florida was proposed by Republicans.
The horrifying legislation in Texas was proposed by Republicans.
The military transgender ban from 2017 was proposed by Republicans.
I suppose I could go on but I think I’ve made my point.
There are many, many things that Democrats completely drop the ball on. This post is about the facts about these proposals, as well as who in the government is writing and supporting laws like these. My point is that it seems that all the recent legislation that impacts the LGBTQIA+ community in a negative way has all been proposed and supported by Republicans (and yes, not all Republicans).
And again, the Democrats are not anyone’s saviors. There are instances of Democrats supporting legislation that does hurt the trans community, but I think I’ve made my point when it comes to recent proposals.
The purpose of this post is to not attack Republicans or praise Democrats, so please keep that in mind if you feel you need to comment to defend or condemn a political party. I am not giving credit to Democrats by any means, I am simply pointing out which party wrote the three policies that I cited at the top of this post. Those are facts.
In this day and age of the 24 hour news cycle with countless ways to stay informed of, well, anything and everything that happens on the planet, it’s easy to be aware of every little thing and every big thing that happens, whether it is celebrity gossip or whatever our political leaders are doing.
I live in Minnesota and we have a Democratic governor. I don’t agree with everything he does, but as a t-girl I feel a LITTLE safer, from a track record point of view, having a Democrat leading the state. As I mentioned at the beginning of this post, the Florida and Texas laws were proposed by Republicans and with those states having Republican governors it increases the likelihood of those laws passing (but I THINK the Florida one already did??).
Any sort of state or federal law or school policy that stigmatizes the LGBTQIA+ community is heartbreaking and I can’t imagine how awful it is for parents of trans children in Texas or to be a non-cis gender and/or non-straight high school student in Florida at the moment.
It sounds selfish and cruel to think this and I certainly don’t mean it like this, but when I see laws like these I breathe a LITTLE sigh of relief that I live in a “blue” state. “It can’t happen here, at least not now”, I think to myself.
Oh but it can.
And it might. Probably will. If it doesn’t, it won’t be for lack of trying. Laws like the ones I cited earlier are cruel and create precedent. One state does something and soon another state will follow.
It hasn’t hit the news cycles yet but HF 3843 was recently introduced that states, in part, that “a person’s sex is either male or female as biologically defined.” The proposed legislation is the all too familiar law touching on restroom usage when it comes to gender identity.
Will this law pass? Again, I can sleep a LITTLE better knowing that we have a Democratic governor and because of that, from a historical perspective anyway, it seems unlikely it will, but no political party remains in power forever. An election could completely (and will likely) upend everything.
Regardless of whether or not a law that hurts the trans community actually passes, it’s exhausting to see laws like these proposed even in the first place. It’s depressing to see them get any sort of support.
You may wonder why I think about these laws. After all, I am not transitioning or planning to. Almost all of these laws focus on medical or legal aspects. But they do impact me. If I am out en femme and I need to use the ladies room, a law absolutely impacts me. Even if they didn’t, these laws are cruel and discriminating and for those reasons alone they should be opposed.
And yes, a family restroom is an option, but not every mall or restaurant has them. And that’s not the point. The law is stigmatizing trans people.
Here’s the thing:
WE as a COMMUNITY understand the nuances of gender identity. We know that there is a difference between a dude who wears panties as a kink and a trans woman who has transitioned. We know there are many, many differences among people who do, and can, identify as transgender.
But lawmakers don’t know this. Nor do they care.
It SOUNDS unlikely and I hope it is, but could there be a proposal to ban any sort of action that goes against “traditional” gender norms?
What I mean is that a state could absolutely block any sort of medical treatment relating to HRT. A state could prevent anyone from legally changing their gender. And yes, these laws impact those who are transitioning and may already be in place in certain states.
But let’s go further.
Some states (such as my own) are trying to prevent transgender people from using a changing room that aligns with their gender identity. If you are like me and have no plans to transition and simply like to go out en femme and try on dresses, I wouldn’t be able to do that under certain dressing room laws.
And yes, I suppose I could use the boy dressing room but again, the point is that laws like these stigmatize the trans community.
This law doesn’t care whether or not I am going to, or have transitioned. I am simply transgender so the law would apply to me.
Let’s go even further.
Could there be a law that prevents a man, in male mode, from buying panties? Could there be stores that prohibit someone from purchasing something that the state says is “for women”? This could potentially prevent me in male mode from buying stockings or even picking up tampons for my wife.
Could a state decide that ANYONE who identifies as transgender is potentially dangerous? Could there be a requirement to “register” as transgender? Could this prevent someone who is trans from being near children under the age of 18?
IF that happened, it would make my job in education impossible and I doubt I would ever be able to see my nieces again.
You might think that there’s no way this could happen, but let’s not forget about the internment camps during World War II.
Could businesses like En Femme and Xdress get shut down because a lawmaker might claim they make “girl clothes for boys”? Could Amazon be court ordered to report a man who orders high heels from them? Could Pride festivals and LGBTQIA+ nightclubs be made illegal?
You may be thinking that can’t happen, that this won’t happen. You may be thinking that this sounds alarmist. Does this sound unlikely? Maybe, but it’s sounding less unrealistic with each passing day. I used to think ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ was far-fetched…
The Democrats aren’t going to “save us”. At the most they might reverse a law that was passed or veto proposed anti-trans legislation but I don’t feel super confident that we as a community are completely safe in the short term or the long term, after all, mid-term elections are coming up…
We’re going backwards and I don’t know what we can do.
Part of me wants to stay calm and carry on. That feels naïve sometimes. Other times I think I should go completely back in the closet, erase (as much as one can) Hannah from social media. But that feels a little extreme.
I suppose that’s kind of the point of legislation like this. To push us back into the closet, to cause us to repress our gender identity. To erase us from the rest of the world.
This feels very scary and depressing and I am going to wrap this up.
Love, Hannah
Hannah McKnight 
Powerful Hannah.
For your own peace of mind, try to focus on the current situation, threatening though it is, it is not the worst case you posit.
Stay calm.
But at the same time we all share a duty to stand alongside any group being pilloried or threatened.
So, I do share your worst case fear.
I won’t comment on the U.S. but even though we have one side of Australian politics who are not considered trans friendly, an anti trans law failed to pass our Parliament less than a month ago, when five members from that side crossed the floor and voted with the opposition. It didn’t pass the Australian sense of a fair go. (A sense that everyone deserves a certain degree of respect and opportunity.)
We get a lot wrong down under, but sometimes I am quietly proud to be Australian.
I hope fairness and kindness prevails.
LikeLike
Hi Hannah,
I know you don’t want to be political but this topic is 100% about politics.
There are three things that we can do:
First and foremost VOTE.
Second VOTE DEMOCRAT!!!!
Do not vote green party or progressive party, etc. They will not win and only take votes away from the democratic candidate.
Third, if you can work remote then move to rural communities. We need to turn some of these Democratic so that state governments are not dominated by Republicans.
I would also recommend registering as a Republican so you can vote in caucuses. In primaries vote for the most beatable Republican.
LikeLike
Oh Hannah – you are the best. You say clearly what i am thinking and are a terrific inspiration. Your strength encourages me to be more visible. You discuss this topic whenever you want girl. Thank you. bri from Oakland, ca
LikeLiked by 2 people
What Bri said!
We need more activism!
LikeLiked by 1 person
What ever happened to common sense?Our senator was against gays until his son came out.Now he don’t say anything.Go figure.
LikeLike
As someone from a little island just off the coast of Europe, we’ve similar anti trans rhetoric, but thankfully not any bans…. yet.
Regardless of political views and parties, I think there’s a sliding scale from supportive, accepting, neutral, and hostile. It may be someone has a very strong attachment to a leader or movement, and while that’s not wrong, I feel we need to be careful about protecting our community and ensuring there’s not a new apartheid.
LikeLike
1-almost all politicians take positions that will get them reelected ergo anti-trans legislation in red states to please the electorate. 2 I wish someone would ask them where are we to go to pee if there is no family restroom
LikeLike
The republicans believe they can bring in more votes with these legislative actions and it’s going to take those who vote for these folks to stand up and say we won’t vote for you if your going to attack certain people
Laws should be about protection of all people not targeting those you don’t agree with
Yes that is a fine line what is protection and what is harmful
Like gun laws, the democrats think if they have laws that ban a certain weapon or some such thing it will protect people when the reality is the criminals don’t care about those laws so those weapons are still out there.
As a trans person living in a red state that is pushing these agendas, trust me I do feel a bit like I’m being targeted but it’s not going to stop me from being me and being visible so others can see we are not harmful
LikeLike
Why is it that people that use the term “common sense” rarely have any.
Your facts in the VA situation are not complete. This girl and this boy had consentual sex on 2 previous occasions In the bathroom. The third time she did not want to have sex and he raped her. He was indeed wearing a skirt but he is not transgender. This boy was previously awaiting trial on a sexual assault in another school. Isn’t the real question, why was he allowed to change schools with that charge pending.
How would your common sense answer this question? Would a $200 fine prevent a rapist from entering a women’s bathroom when the threat of years in prison does not stop them?
I am sure this isn’t logical but sexual orientation and gender identity are not the same thing. If a transgender child comes to school and is bullied, don’t they have to talk about it? Just like if a kid is bullied for red hair or for a stutter. They have to talk about that too.
Talking about a family with 2 dads or 2 moms shouldn’t be any different than talking about a family with a mom and a dad. You can talk about love without sex.
Off now to find some classes in logic and common sense. Maybe that will help me.
LikeLiked by 4 people
Unfortunately it’s cases like the boy in Virginia that these legislators and others latch onto and then label all trans people as sexual predators, when the truth is the actual number of bathroom assaults from a trans person is so small it’s not even a blip on the stats
It’s such a shame how such things are taken out of context
LikeLiked by 2 people
I get so sick and tired of people pitting one group of people against the other. Yet it is happening more and more. The goal of the “far left” is to DIVIDE us and get us into different camps that constantly come after each other. And, here we ago again, being goaded into a discussion that pits Republicans against Democrats.
I identify as a CD. I am married, have children and am a Conservative Christian. I enjoy wearing women’s clothes. I have dressed totally as a woman and interacted with others in public. At other times, I have just slipped on my favorite ladies blouse, sweater, jacket, jeans, capris, or whatever and gone out as well. Over the past 20 + years, I can count on one hand the number of times I ever felt uncomfortable–Until now. . . after this last election. Now, because the “far left” has hijacked the Democrat Party, they are using their position of power to push their idea that it’s OK for people to switch gender at will. They are using the TG Community as wedge between people of all persuasions.
The push by the “far left” to compete on athletic teams as members of the opposite sex, to use restrooms, shower/changing facilities, dressing rooms of the opposite sex; indeed, the whole issue has become an US vs THEM issue, all under the banner of “inclusivity”. People that never gave this a second thought, are now fearful of “that guy in a dress” raping their daughter in a changing room. The push to put schools between parents and children relative to sex / gender education has only added to the fear and animosity. Now, when I go out, I find myself being on the defensive and leery about what others may think or how they may treat me. I now view everyone I meet as a threat; when previously, that fact rarely crossed my mind. My friends, neighbors and coworkers frequently and openly discuss these issues; where as in the past, the issues weren’t topics that came up a lot nor warranted a lot of discussion.
The “far left” has used “inclusivity’ to divide us as and foment hate and anger between different groups of people that just want to live their lives. Please don’t play into their warped sense of the world and their plans to divide us even more. Don’t give them the satisfaction of taking away our individuality and freedoms, by creating an environment where the “real” freedom to be who we are is lost for ever.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yep the far left and all their damn laws taking away the rights of all those marginalized conservative Christians. Its all the fault of those heathens and their desire to devide us through inclusivity.
LikeLike
Girlyguy, maybe surprisingly, I agree with your position. The only thing I would suggest is that the right wing seem to me to be just as outraged as the left.
Let’s not wory which side started it. They can both be seen as shrill and unhelpful.
I observe that if I want to encourage you to accept my stance on anything, I have more chance if I go out of my way to show you I respect you, even if we think differently, rather than to just be shrill! I hope you feel that respect.
How to assure both sides that you cross-dressing does not threaten the future of society or them or their families specifically.
This requires the wisdom of Solomon.
Geraldine
LikeLiked by 1 person
These attempted legislative measures are popping up everywhere because they (mostly) all come from one source – ALEC (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Legislative_Exchange_Council). The folks there come up with the ideas and then help spread them. And though they claim to be nonpartisan, they are very heavy conservative leaning.
Things like the FL law mean that LGBTQ+ kids have no place to turn for help at a school. The vulnerable will be even more so with the law in place.
And though not directly targeting LGBTQ+ in MN, SF2909 here is another of these ALEC items that aims to give individual parents the ability to direct/control an entire school curriculum in terms of topics, textbooks, etc.
And, another element that has come up in these common directives – letting individual citizens sue other citizens as part of the enforcement. It’s just a bounty hunters paradise in those cases.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hannah states the facts with links and several commentators repeat the same old Republican talking points, which have been proven false time and again.
If you are trans and you vote Republican than you are part of the problem, much like if you are gay and vote Republican you are part of the problem.
It sure as hell not the left that is causing the problem. It’s Republicans, and those who vote for them.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Point well taken, and I do not disagree with you! We all [from both sides of the aisle] need to take a step back and view each other a individuals regardless of race, creed, culture or gender.
LikeLiked by 1 person
There is a lot more to be said about all this, summed up by saying that biological, , psychological, genetic intersex variations are numerous and complex, and are not matters of political parties or legislation. Democrat views overall are more inclusive and less shrill, but ultimately sexual matters are individual and no else’s, unless invited in. Republican views are more commonly hopelessly ignorant and uninformed. Some Democrat views are similar.
LikeLike
Really. . .less shrill, more inclusive? I respectfully disagree with your position, but you have every right to hold it.
LikeLike
I’m a real conservative and a former Republican which is why I currently register as a Democrat and barf with commentary from the so called progressive wing of my current party choice. I haven’t yet located a rational party, let me know if you find one. Wish ZELENSKY would start a new party based on humor and unity. I
LikeLiked by 1 person