Uncovering the Impact: How Transgender Misinformation Fuels Transphobia
- tearoomtalk24
- Nov 24, 2024
- 5 min read
Updated: Dec 9, 2024
I am sure most of you have heard the popular harmful phrases of "there are litter boxes in schools" and "kids coming home with a transgender operation". You would typically hear these types of sentences and say, "who the hell believes that?", but it has been spread throughout the United States through the 2024 President elect, Donald Trump. Therefore, lots of people genuinely believe these statements.
Can you guess the percentage of transgender people in the United States? This was founded by US Census Bureau Household Pulse Survey and in an article from USA Facts.
About 1.14% of the nation’s adult population identifies as transgender, according to the Household Pulse Survey.[1] This is equivalent to approximately 3 million adults.
Unmasking the Harm: The Impact of Shrugging Off Transphobic Sayings
A popular saying that I have been hearing for years is that left radicals in schools allow litter boxes in bathrooms for furries. A quick google search would tell you this has been debunked by media outlets from asking superintendents at local schools, and they have denied such claims. PolitiFact is a fact checking website that rates the truthfulness of claims by politicians. PolitiFact noted Michigan, Iowa, and Wisconsin schools had sent out letters and emails to dispel the rhetoric. Another popular saying from President Trump is "kids are coming home from school with a transgender operation." This is blatantly false. The school nurse can't even give your child Advil without permission... NBC news shared in an article debunking the statement,
About half the states ban transition-related surgery for minors, and even in states where such care is still legal, it is rare. In addition, guidelines from several major medical associations say a parent or guardian must provide consent before a minor undergoes gender-affirming care, including transition-related surgery, according to the American Association of Medical Providers. Most major medical associations in the U.S. support gender-affirming care for minors experiencing gender dysphoria. For those who opt for such care and have the support of their guardians and physicians, that typically involves puberty blockers for preteens and hormone replacement therapy for older teens.
Now, my question is- why the hell do we care what other people are doing with their children? I guarantee if someone told you how to parent or raise your children, you would be pissed and rightfully so! I think as a society we need to stop judging people for not fitting into our society norms. Children have to get parental consent before they proceed with anything, so this topic would be discussed at length between the parent and child. Transgender decisions are not made overnight, decisions are made over the years of their adolescent life. Our opinion shouldn't matter on the subject because it has absolutely nothing to do with us besides the people that think it's weird and want to put restrictions (or ban) it. Let people be weird and be authentically themselves. How does that harm you in any way? I think the world would be a better place if we let go of the idea and generalization of "normal" then people could freely be themselves without the judgment and scrutiny of others.
Furthermore, Trump and Vance have ran on policies that would harm LGBTQ+ members, but most importantly transgender people. Trump discussed his opposition to the Equality Act on May 14, 2019, that prohibits discrimination sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity. When Trump was president, he wrote bills that scaled back on these protections such as eliminating sex discrimination definition, appointed anti-LGBTQ+ judges, implemented a plan to ban trans peoples to enlist, wants to restrict LGBTQ+ education and discussions, and Trump has supported legislation for restricting bathrooms aligning with people's gender identity. Here is a timeline of harmful transgender policies during the Trump administration.
Trump has recently talked about re-implementing the policy to ban transgender people from the military. If he accomplishes this, that is about 15,000 transgender people will be medically discharged. Who is going to replace them? People are not joining the military like they used to because they don't have faith in the military, there is a strong labor market, low pay, frequent moving, people not meeting recruiting standards, and more. It would take lots of money and time to replace the people he wants to discharge. If transgender people are discharged from the military, there will likely be a draft especially since we're on the brink of a war... then how would you feel? Are you okay with that?
What's the deal with bathrooms?
The Minnesota Governor and 2024 Democrat Vice President nominee, Tim Walz, received a lot of criticism from republicans that resorted to calling him "Tampon Tim" because Tim signed a bill requiring schools to have free menstrual products. This amassed backlash because Trump squawked that tampons would be put in boy's restrooms. It is important to note here, most restrooms in Minnesota schools are gender neutral individual bathrooms. St. Paul schools in Minnesota made the switch in 2016 to these gender-neutral bathrooms, they have found that kids feel safer using them according to MPR News.
Transgender Sports
The debate surrounding transgender individuals in sports has been highly controversial. Scientific studies indicate that transgender women may have an advantage over cisgender women; however, as transgender women begin hormone therapy, their perceived advantage diminishes as they become slower and weaker. The challenge is how to include transgender women in sports without facing backlash. Some have suggested creating a separate category for transgender athletes, but this is problematic given that only 1.14% of Americans are transgender. Additionally, it's important to note that "trans kids are one-sixth as likely as cisgender kids to participate in school sports," as mentioned in an NPR interview with Joanna Harper and Tom Goldman. Transgender children are more inclined to join creative clubs. My proposal is to allow everyone to compete in sports and recognize both the top transgender athlete and the top cisgender woman. While it's undeniable that transgender women have some advantages, these should not lead to exclusion or bans from sports. Although I wish the United States were more progressive, this approach may not be feasible due to the prevailing desire for a single winner and conservative opposition to participation trophies. However, I will be keeping hope that in the future the United States will be more progressive and inclusive.
Transphobia Conclusion
All of these talking points further push transphobia through singling out a minority group for problems. I have heard many republicans say they don't want trans women in women bathrooms because they pose a risk of being predators. I would confidently make the argument that men are predators, but we are looking at the wrong ones. The predators aren't the people who are wanting to change their sex so they can identify how they want; the real predators are the 'nice guys who would never harm anyone'. If you're about to say "NOT ALL MEN" then you also need to recognize that it's not all transgender people. I'm sure there are some predators who are trans, but there are also men AND women who are predators too. If you're not willing to recognize that and would rather live in your delusions to push your hate, then you are what's wrong in this world. The world is changing, I believe it is time to start accepting people for who they are and who they want to be.
Please watch these tiktok videos. The videos share great information, and the first one is a mother to a trans kid sharing their story at the Georgia Senate hearing on 11/21/2024.
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