Thread by @irisdyoung

It's Trans Day of Visibility (#TDOV/#TDOV2022) again and, y'all, we're three months and a couple hundred bills deep in anti-trans legislation of various flavors. Let's break it down.

Sports bills: disqualifying trans girls from playing on girls' sports teams. Utah overrode a veto to pass one of these bills to block the single trans girl athlete in the state from playing. Utah's own governor said it was an ugly, low blow.

Commentary: (1) trans girls and women statistically aren't dominating, (2) sports has always favored inborn advantages and if trans women ever do dominate, more power to them!!, (3) any filter for trans ppl catches cis ppl too and is degrading and inhumane (see: Caster Semenya)

Healthcare bills: variations on making it a felony to be complicit in trans minors accessing trans-affirming care. Many of these have already had chilling effects on hospitals and doctors, regardless of whether the restrictions could possibly hold up in court.

Commentary: most of these are unconstitutional on their face and are having the intended consequences anyway, because nobody wants to get sued or spend years in prison for pissing off such determined assholes. These need to be challenged and dismantled ASAP.

These laws may also be precursors to extending the same restrictions to higher age groups, and eventually, criminalizing all trans healthcare. Again, easy to see through, hard to deal with once it's written into law.

Child abuse laws/orders: some are laws, some are just state governors directing CPS to investigate trans kids' families and schools, but like the healthcare situation, the credible threats make it very hard for trans kids to *exist* in these states.

Commentary: I've heard a lot of discussion lately on whether these rise to the level of genocide. I'm not sure yet, but whatever this is is real fucking bad. We know transition and social support are life-or-death things and we're deliberately, systematically withholding them.

Some states are criminalizing leaving the state with the intention of seeking transition-related care. Even the families with the means to uproot and move states are now risking felony convictions to support their trans kids.

And from a legal perspective, there's no defensible version of criminalizing an entire identity. Kids don't even get surgeries (with the exception of intersex minors, who are getting "corrective" surgeries they don't want or need; ironically these laws make exceptions for these).

Kids are seeking social support and, at most, puberty delaying drugs. These are by definition reversible and known to be safe, whereas wrong puberty has some significant irreversible, demonstrably harmful effects. There's no legal case for categorically blocking any of this.

How are we seeing these bills flood state legislatures despite widespread social approval for LGBTQ+ people existing? They're all advanced by the same handful of people successfully using it as a "wedge issue," and losing this fight is as simple as letting it burn us out.

How do we prevent that? Depending on where you live, work and vote, you can:
- harrass your state reps
- make sure your own workplace, neighborhood, school, etc. are safe and supportive (listen to trans ppl for what to notice and what to fight)
- donate to legal counterefforts

- directly support trans people, esp POC (transition funds, emergency relocation funds, etc)
- make inroads with friends and relatives who could be better allies or less potent threats
- quit your job if you're police or otherwise directly causing harm

If you're going to do or say anything #TDOV -related I challenge you to do at least one of the actions above. I also challenge you to learn more about how POC and esp Black people bear the greatest burdens and risks of being trans, and prioritize them in your actions.

If you know you have hangups around, for example, believing homeless people deserve housing, health, safety and dignity unconditionally, go ahead and make inroads on yourself! Same for any other prejudice you are aware of but not sure what to do about yet. We all have some.

Lmk if you want help tracking down specific resources. Don't ask your minoritized coworker and put the burden on them to educate you. Y'all know the drill by now.

And remember to do *something* beyond learning. Any fraction of the burden you can share, we need it.

💙💖🤍💖💙