Trump admin moves to roll back transgender protections

Some thoughts on the latest moves by the Trump administration.

1) Kids (and adults) who are transgender are at higher risk of assault, abuse and murder than just about any other minority in our country

2) Transgender kids are who they are. Most report that their gender identity was fixed at a very young age.

3) Our society ridicules and humiliates people who are not gender-normative at every opportunity. Kids who grow up transgender get the message from culture, tv, music, pastors, everybody that they are freaks.

4) Until recently, it was perfectly legal to discriminate in every possible area against people who are transgender. You could fire them. Evict them. In many places, thanks to transgender “panic” defenses, you could assault them with impunity.

Late in President Obama’s term, for the very first time, the federal government moved to put in some very basic protections. I mean basic. Like… schoolkids being able to go to the bathroom without having to face assault or murder. Yesterday, the Trump administration announced they are rolling those protections back.

I’m writing this message to people I know who are transgender, and to anyone out there struggling with these issues:

You’re loved.

You’re valuable.

You matter.

Things might be scary right now (or always, for that matter) but know that there are people out there who care, and who won’t stand and allow you to be hurt without speaking up.