It's rare that the New York Times publishes something to fully affirm that trans people need safety and dignity, but here's a recent beautiful examle: Trans Visibility Is Nice. Safety Is Even Better. Chase Strangio, New York Times, February 15, 2024
Strangio, an ACLU lawyer, opens by saying:
"In my childhood, trans representation was largely confined to sensationalized daytime talk shows — think 'Jerry Springer' — and fictionalized stories of cisgender people reacting with disgust or violence upon learning someone was trans — think of the movies 'Boys Don’t Cry,' 'The Crying Game,' even 'Ace Ventura: Pet Detective.'"
(For a bit more context on more on Jerry Springer, see Blackthelma on that topic.)
Today, by contrast:
"Films like 'Will & Harper' allow cisgender people to see trans people’s full humanity, and they give trans people a welcome chance to see ourselves onscreen. Visibility is a gift when you grow up thinking your existence is impossible. But being invisible can also bring protection. I might not have seen myself onscreen in childhood, but neither did I have to deal with dozens upon dozens of bills filed each year questioning my right to use the restroom that matches my gender, have access to health care, learn about the history of trans people in school or worry about which sports teams I was allowed to play on. Though representation of transness onscreen is crucial for building empathy, trans visibility has also contributed to a false sense that the community possesses a degree of stability and power that, in reality, continues to elude us."
There is a legislative assault against trans people in the US.
"The underlying aim of this legislative assault is clear to trans people: It amounts to the slow erosion of our legal protections and attacks on our dignity, our humanity and our ability to live safely and participate in public life. Those of us who are trans or who love someone who is trans wake up every day wondering: Will we be able to get the health care that has enabled us to survive? Will our children be taken from us by the state because we are trans or because they are? Will our children be able to go to the right bathroom at school, participate in field trips or join sports teams? Will we be outed when we show identification?"
"These laws," Strangio says, "structurally impair my ability to fight back against them." In other words, they disempower trans people so that it is harder for us to fight to regain our power.
The problem is: "Each bill contributes to a political movement that imagines a world without us."
The question is: "Will there be anywhere safe in the United States for trans people in the near future?"
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