The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
Limiting Trans Access In Public Spaces
By April Gain
QuailBellMagazine.com
Clearly, ALEC must have its sights set this year on being the piss police. That’s the only possible explanation I can fathom for the rash of anti-trans legislation that’s been popping up in the last few months. In February alone, three different states have proposed “bathroom bills” specifically designed to fine people for using the “wrong” bathroom based on “biological sex”. Aside from the broad nature of its phrasing (how is sex determined? Hormone levels? Genitalia? Genetic Typing? None of these biological markers are defined in the binary being proposed), the legislation tries to erase trans people and deny the validity of their gender identification.
These laws serve no greater purpose and yield no true public improvement. They have nothing to do with the protection of anyone and instead seek to actively endanger people based on their gender identity. There are plenty of shitheads out there already who think they have the authority to tell a grown ass adult that they don’t know which room they’re supposed to go into. We must refuse to memorialize this as law. It’s preposterous. It would be laughable if it didn’t create real danger.
Trans people make up 2-5% of the general population. We don’t have good numbers for the United States because our government still doesn’t recognize them as a measured population. Advocacy centers have struggled to compile many statistics to help us start to see a picture. We know, for example, that murders of trans people constitute 20% of all murders.
Though trans murders are typically not officially characterized as a hate crime, the disproportionate representation points to that very trait as the primary motive. Their stories are many—Brandon Teena, Gwen Araujo, Coko Williams—but the theme is common. Cis people, and overwhelmingly cis men, use these laws as justification to invalidate and deny the existence and humanity of trans people. These feelings incite harassment and violence against them. At least 8 trans people have been murdered in the United States since the start of 2015, 75 days, at the time of this writing. In 49 states, it is perfectly legal to murder a person because of their gender identity. The institutionalized obstacles trans men and women fight through are numerous and immense. Many states still require that a psychiatrist sign off on the diagnosis of gender dysphoria before they can seek the treatment needed. Trans-reparative therapy is legal throughout the country. Why must we alienate the marginalized? Why do we feel so strongly that society can decide who you are better than you can? Every claim of bullshit trans panic trying to inspire support for these bills is completely unsubstantiated to the point of being “beyond specious,” as reported by Media Matters. Bathroom access isn’t a privilege. Adjustments to policy and legislation have been made throughout history, from desegregation to the proliferation of disability friendly and even family bathrooms. It’s common sense, for a business serving the general public, to have restrooms that are accessible to all of their potential customers. The idea that segregation of the sexes is the only means of safety is ludicrous. We cannot cater to the most oppressive minority in public spaces. Trans people are real, their identities understood and recognized throughout the world. We have to stop lagging along in civil rights. In Kentucky, the bill has passed the Senate; Democratic leaders assure citizens it will stop there. How is the global bastion of freedom still policing bathrooms and personal expression? Is this the constitutional right to freedom of expression we’re disregarding? The time has long passed for inclusion to be the norm. Use democracy to make it so—write to your legislators, go to meetings, and vote. Everyone’s freedom depends on how we let our representatives exercise it. #Real #LunaLuna #AprilGain #TransgenderRights #PissPolice #CheckYourPrivilege #EverybodyPoops Visit our shop and subscribe. Sponsor us. Submit and become a contributor. Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. CommentsComments are closed.
|
|