Wednesday Wins! Trans Rights in MA, Trans Sports in IN, Twitter "Ok, groomer" bans!
This week has had a lot of wins for transgender rights and life. Let's explore them!
I know that the fight for transgender and LGBTQ+ rights can get really difficult. It’s so important that when we get victories, we celebrate them. Today’s Wednesday Wins focuses on three big victories we saw this week in legislatures, courts, and online spaces. Twitter has indicated that it will begin banning uses of “ok, groomer” when used as a slur against LGBTQ+ people and many people finally found success reporting it. An Indiana Court has ruled in favor of a 10 year old transgender girl to play on her softball team. Massachusetts has affirmed that gender affirming care and abortion care is a right protected by its constitution. More under the fold.
Twitter Bans Groomer Slur
Twitter has finally started banning accounts using “ok, groomer” or “groomer” accusations against LGBTQ+ people. This comes two weeks after Reddit announced it would start enforcing its hate speech policy against content that equates LGBTQ+ people with groomers, pedophiles, or as people with a “mental illness.” This is an extremely important step - “ok groomer” was allowed to proliferate mostly on Twitter, and as a result, it has solidified into the right-wing cultural lexicon.
It remains to be seen how it gets enforced, but already verified twitter accounts are posting it less often. There are notable exceptions: the right-wing, anti-LGBTQ+ hate account Libs of Tik Tok run by Chaya Raichik recently promoted her Shopify merchandise store with the code “Groomers.” A quick search of “ok, groomer” on twitter with a verified filter as of the time of this article shows very few verified accounts mentioning the phrase. James Lindsay’s account was successfully suspended for using the phrase:
Indiana Court Rules In Favor Of 10-Year-Old Transgender Girl
In Indiana, a federal judge has enjoined the state from enforcing its transgender athlete ban on a 10-year-old transgender girl who has played girls softball for the past few years. The order is comprehensive and filled with quotes recognizing the rights of transgender people to play sports. It also joins a growing body of cases that apply title IX to transgender people. The judge provides us with a beautiful, simple quote: “the singling out of transgender females is unequivocally discrimination on the basis of sex, regardless of the policy argument as to why that choice was made.”
The case relies heavily on the Bostock v. Clayton County decision in the supreme court which stated that discrimination against transgender individuals is sex discrimination. This case was decided 6-3 and if all justices voted similarly, would likely be decided 5-4 in favor of upholding it today . Other cases have similarly affirmed Bostock applies to trans youth such as when a federal judge enjoined Alabama from enforcing its gender affirming care ban and when a federal judge enjoined a local school bathroom ban for trans people in Indiana earlier this year.
Massachusetts Affirms Gender Affirming Care Is A Constitutional Right
Massachusetts has passed a bill that affirms gender affirming care and abortion are both rights protected by its constitution. It is currently awaiting the governor’s signature. This bill has several interesting protections that may raise constitutional questions: it prevents out of state lawsuits from Texas abortion bounty hunters, and it also prevents doctors from having to list out of state enforcement actions against them for state licensure. There are other provisions that prevent out of state summons for gender affirming care or abortions in some cases:
This bill is a huge step forward. Massachusetts is the second state to pass a “safe state law,” although this law does not go as far as the Connecticut safe state law. The Connecticut law as well as SB107 in California protect transgender people and those who have had abortions from extradition back to states like Texas and Alabama if they are charged with a crime for “child abuse” as a result of providing a transgender minor with gender affirming care.
All of these victories show that despite the movement in red states against transgender rights, there are people fighting for positive change and justice for transgender people. If you live in a blue state and are wondering what you can do, know that no state is perfect on LGBTQ+ legislation. Fight for laws making your state a safe refugee state for abortion and trans refugees. Fight for laws that give transgender people full healthcare coverage for WPATH procedures. It is so important to keep fighting wherever you are!