The coordinated conservative attack on all trans issues, but most especially medical care for trans youth, has been one of the most powerful and sickening ideological coups in modern political history. It didn’t occur in a vacuum, but rather was the result of intense and determined coordination by numerous legal groups and think tanks, pundits and influential conservatives, and of course politicians themselves. Years or decades from now, when somehow all of this has settled down and perhaps beleaguered people have begun to win back their civil rights, this will be an object of study in the history books, as a lesson in how so much backsliding in civil rights could ever have happened. Wikipedia article in the 2040s - “The great transphobia craze of the 2020s”.
I personally feel that there are many causes to this, but one of them was LGBTQ people becoming too confident and optimistic in the mid-2010s when Obergefell happened, and not being aware that such a landscape was susceptible to a severe backlash, especially in light of the troubled economy of that era….especially in red states which were fertile ground for conservative politics, and scapegoating of vulnerable groups.
I think about this a good deal, because I still get angry remembering organizations with operating budgets in the millions deciding "mission accomplished" and closing down after the Obergefell Decision.
Looking at YOU, Freedom to Marry...
Community leaders KNEW we weren't done- Barney Frank had just finished throwing trans people under the bus on ENDA after encountering significant resistance from social conservatives in congress. For too many in the movement, they got what they wanted from the coalition. Now it was time for them to go back to brunch, while trans activists were left out in the cold. Adding insult to injury, some orgs would use stories of murdered trans people in fundraisers, but would after waiving the bloody shirt, they would throw a pittance at helping trans people.
If you live in North TX, have a trans kiddo, And your family is planning to move, or needs assistance for medical travel, please look into north Texas TRANSportation network (NTTN). It provides grants to residents (and it is unfortunately geographically locked to NTX) of the north Texas region to help alleviate some of those costs. Funding is limited, and entirely procured from donations and fundraising, so NTTN has to keep a sharp focus on its own boundaries for support, but if that is you, a parent of a trans youth living in North Texas, NTTN is another resource to help you navigate the shitty, muddy, fucking swamp that is the experience of raising a trans kid in TX.
May I share this with the Mama Dragons organization? Our NTX Mamas may already be aware of this effort - and so appreciated, by the way - but a reminder may not hurt.
The impact will almost certainly never be properly accounted for. The casualties will never be accurately counted. The names of all of the victims will never be known.
The US Military maintains an honor guard on The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, 24/7, 365.
We trans folks need something of the kind.
The Tomb of the Unknown Transitioner? Hell If I know. But flags and dates and pithy slogans somehow feel inadequate to the moment. We need an eternal flame of our own. A place which can be, if not sacred, then at least 𝘴𝘢𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘵. We should've had it after the atrocities of the past... but we 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘵 have it once we've survived the atrocities of the present.
Or the 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳-𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯-𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘥-𝘦𝘳, for that matter. We need to build a monument to posterity to remind cis folks that yes, in fact, we were here- and that we always have been (see next article; it's 𝘢𝘸𝘦𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦!)- and that we've more often than not been the grease in the gears of 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘦𝘭𝘴𝘦'𝘴 progress.
Or plainly worded letters. Or coherently-worded letters. Or letters in general. Really, if it's not done with fingerprints in watercolor, just don't bother.
** Has anyone listened to or know anything about new NYT-produced podcast The Protocol? Apparently on history of trans healthcare? Someone just sent me a text alert- it’s written by Azeen Ghorayshi. I feel like she has written about trans youth for NYT before…..
That report will bounce off of the Social Conservatives, but with any luck it will bounce onto some "independents" and stick.
We have been telling them what the effect of their discriminatory laws will be for years, they simply don’t care if we live or die.
That's true, but it's also true that we have many many allies. When in history have we had that? Love wins! 🤗
they prefer to stay in the dark and belive the world is flat!!
The coordinated conservative attack on all trans issues, but most especially medical care for trans youth, has been one of the most powerful and sickening ideological coups in modern political history. It didn’t occur in a vacuum, but rather was the result of intense and determined coordination by numerous legal groups and think tanks, pundits and influential conservatives, and of course politicians themselves. Years or decades from now, when somehow all of this has settled down and perhaps beleaguered people have begun to win back their civil rights, this will be an object of study in the history books, as a lesson in how so much backsliding in civil rights could ever have happened. Wikipedia article in the 2040s - “The great transphobia craze of the 2020s”.
I personally feel that there are many causes to this, but one of them was LGBTQ people becoming too confident and optimistic in the mid-2010s when Obergefell happened, and not being aware that such a landscape was susceptible to a severe backlash, especially in light of the troubled economy of that era….especially in red states which were fertile ground for conservative politics, and scapegoating of vulnerable groups.
I think about this a good deal, because I still get angry remembering organizations with operating budgets in the millions deciding "mission accomplished" and closing down after the Obergefell Decision.
Looking at YOU, Freedom to Marry...
Community leaders KNEW we weren't done- Barney Frank had just finished throwing trans people under the bus on ENDA after encountering significant resistance from social conservatives in congress. For too many in the movement, they got what they wanted from the coalition. Now it was time for them to go back to brunch, while trans activists were left out in the cold. Adding insult to injury, some orgs would use stories of murdered trans people in fundraisers, but would after waiving the bloody shirt, they would throw a pittance at helping trans people.
If you live in North TX, have a trans kiddo, And your family is planning to move, or needs assistance for medical travel, please look into north Texas TRANSportation network (NTTN). It provides grants to residents (and it is unfortunately geographically locked to NTX) of the north Texas region to help alleviate some of those costs. Funding is limited, and entirely procured from donations and fundraising, so NTTN has to keep a sharp focus on its own boundaries for support, but if that is you, a parent of a trans youth living in North Texas, NTTN is another resource to help you navigate the shitty, muddy, fucking swamp that is the experience of raising a trans kid in TX.
donated!
May I share this with the Mama Dragons organization? Our NTX Mamas may already be aware of this effort - and so appreciated, by the way - but a reminder may not hurt.
The impact will almost certainly never be properly accounted for. The casualties will never be accurately counted. The names of all of the victims will never be known.
The US Military maintains an honor guard on The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, 24/7, 365.
We trans folks need something of the kind.
The Tomb of the Unknown Transitioner? Hell If I know. But flags and dates and pithy slogans somehow feel inadequate to the moment. We need an eternal flame of our own. A place which can be, if not sacred, then at least 𝘴𝘢𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘵. We should've had it after the atrocities of the past... but we 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘵 have it once we've survived the atrocities of the present.
Side by side with the Tomb of the Unknown Detransitioner, to honor those who simply found it too hard to be authentic in this hellscape.
Or the 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳-𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯-𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘥-𝘦𝘳, for that matter. We need to build a monument to posterity to remind cis folks that yes, in fact, we were here- and that we always have been (see next article; it's 𝘢𝘸𝘦𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦!)- and that we've more often than not been the grease in the gears of 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘦𝘭𝘴𝘦'𝘴 progress.
I loved reading this article. Thanks so much for your work.
If I know one thing, the Trump administration despises sternly worded letters
Or plainly worded letters. Or coherently-worded letters. Or letters in general. Really, if it's not done with fingerprints in watercolor, just don't bother.
EVEN IF ITS IGNORED BY TRANSPHOBES IT STILL REINFORMS THOSE OF US WHO ARE FOR THIS CONTINUANCE OF CARE FOR TRANS PEOPLE.
I'm grateful that the world is watching and making comment!!
** Has anyone listened to or know anything about new NYT-produced podcast The Protocol? Apparently on history of trans healthcare? Someone just sent me a text alert- it’s written by Azeen Ghorayshi. I feel like she has written about trans youth for NYT before…..
Here's what GLAAD has to say about it:
https://glaad.org/nyt-podcast-trans-healthcare/
screw the nytimes!!