ACLU lawyer Chase Strangio tweeted this recently and I could not relate more.
The ACLU keeps a page of running anti-LGBTQ legislation here and it seems to be growing by the day. I heard an interview with an activist recently and she said that since gay marriage became the law of the land in 2015, social conservatives have turned their attention to our Transgender community members…feeling they were losing the battle agains Gay Americans. I definitely see the truth in that, but I think another factor is this idea that gets floated around a lot: Economic issues drive the Right apart while culture issues pull them together.
The general population supports a lot of Biden’s economic recovery plans. They like the jobs plan. They support minimum wage increases. The Republicans know they will not be able to fire up their base in response to his economic decisions. They can, however, rally their troops with transphobic legislation and messaging. And considering how much new legislation keeps being added across the country, I’d say they’re all looking at each other’s playbooks.
Obviously, in the face of this onslaught, the first thing I always encourage you to do is contact your state-level representatives if there’s transphobic legislation being discussed in your state. DO NOT FEEL ANY SHAME FOR NOT KNOWING YOUR STATE LEVEL REPRESENTATIVES. There are a lot of people out there who will get all self-righteous if you care more about the Presidential election than your Mayor but you know what? I DO NOT GIVE A SHIT. All I care about is protecting these kids from legislation that will effect their healthcare.
Just like at the federal level you have a “House of Representatives” and a “Senate” for your state. (I’m assuming? That’s how it is in Alabama. It just now occurred to me that I don’t know for sure if every state is set up the same way.) Either way - go here to enter your address and find your representatives. This is how mine is listed with the “lower” chamber being my House of Representatives and the “upper” chamber being my Senator for the state of Alabama.
Fun fact: When Rex Reynolds ran in my district he actually sent ATTACK MAILERS TO EVERYONE against the Republican who was primarying against him. I thought that was a really shitty move and even though I was voting Democrat, I really did NOT want him to win. I RECEIVED SEVERAL. It made me so angry.
ANYWAY…
So find the legislation from your state on that ACLU page and then find your rep and contact them. Email them every day if you want! And don’t fret about sourcing your emails or anything. I mean, take the time if you want, but mainly express your concern that they are contradicting the 67,000 member of the American Academy of Pediatrics (if you’re writing against the medical transphobic bills) or that they’re contrary to the NCAA and IOC (if you’re writing against sports-prohibiting bills). I’m lucky enough to have to write about both!
But if you want to source your emails, OR if you are battling misinformation from people in your circle of influence, let me offer a couple of resources.
First of all - here is a GREAT primer about some of the myths around transphobic legislation. It just briefly touches on the most common ones giving you a good place to dig deeper if you want or need. Also, the Southern Poverty Law Center has a great write-up about the VERY VERY VERY small association of Pediatricians that supports these bits of legislation. This group sent people to my state to testify and you’ll see them all over Fox News.
The great thing about this SPLC write-up is it gives a bunch of “sources” for how some of the most common myths were born and how they’re used against our cause. It is VERY well-sourced. (For the record - the “response” on this groups website is NOT well-sourced. Except for it’s “proof” that you shouldn’t trust the SPLC.) So if you want to do some research/digging to battle some misinformation you’ll have plenty of sources to use.
Here’s the truth. You many not think you know any transgender kids, but I’m betting someone in your social media circle loves one. And even if you’re not arguing transphobia on your timeline, periodically posting something to voice where you stand in support of trans youth of America can do WONDERS. These parents sometimes are keeping their kid’s true identities secret until their kid is comfortable transitioning publicly. (Take it from someone in Alabama…sometimes it takes awhile for this to feel like the right move.) And so seeing your support on their timeline will do more than you’ll realize. So, even if you don’t want to email your representative (although I encourage you to!) or maybe your state is not trying to pass anything dangerous, just sometimes posting something that shows your support packs more of a punch than you may realize.