We must all stand up to fight injustice in all of its forms
“To truly be feminist is to be antiracist. To be antiracist (and feminist) is to level the different race genders [… and …] we cannot be antiracist if we are homophobic or transphobic.”
June is Pride month in the US, a time to commemorate the Stonewall Riots and advocate for the rights of the LGBTQ+ community. Instead, on Friday evening — the four year anniversary of the Pulse nightclub shooting, the deadliest attack on the LGBTQ+ community where 49 people were killed — U.S. President Trump chose to announce that the transgender community will no longer be protected by anti-discrimination laws when seeking health care, reversing civil rights protections guaranteed by section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act. This legislation allows doctors to refuse all treatment on the basis of sex stereotyping and gender identity. In other words, it provides healthcare workers, who are sworn to do no harm, the right to discriminate with the full protection of federal law.
Transgender people, especially trans women of color, have long been discriminated against by medical professionals and face disproportionately higher levels of violence. After Trump’s announcment, trans activist and writer Charlotte Clymer shared one account of a Black trans woman, Tyra Hunter, who was left to die after medics realized that she was transgender. These violations of basic human rights occur as the coronavirus death toll climbs past 115,000 in the U.S., hitting the most vulnerable communities the hardest.
The Trump administration has an ongoing history of discrimination against the transgender community. Last week, the Department of Housing and Urban Development proposed a rule that would revoke even more protections for transgender people: this rule would allow single-sex homeless shelters to deny housing to transgender people based on their sex at birth, rather than by their gender identity. In addition to removing protections in housing and health care, the government deferred to harmful and unscientific language using the word ‘sex.’ These policies are not only unjust, but also fly in the face of science: gender and sex are not binary. But there is some progress — just this morning, the Supreme Court upheld a law prohibiting employers to discriminate against LGBTQ employees.
As we enter a social justice revolution, chanting “Black Lives Matter”, we must recognize the ways in which Blacktransgender lives have often been overlooked and be mindful about how we center our actions. Police are more likely to use violence against transgender people compared to cisgender people; for example, Tony McDade was a Black transgender man murdered by police in May. On Sunday, rallies for Black Trans Lives Matter were held around the United States, with thousands of participants. Anti-Black trans violence extends beyond the police. Just one day prior to Trump’s announcement, two Black trans women, Dominique Fells and Riah Milton, were found murdered, adding to the already long (and likely non-exhaustive) list of transgender and gender non-conforming folks killed this year. This list also includes Nina Pop, a Black trans woman who was stabbed to death in St. Louis in May. Further, according to the Trevor Project, one in three Black transgender youth have tried to commit suicide.
“The truth is, no one of us can be free until everybody is free.”
We must all stand up to fight injustice in all of its forms. Black Lives Matter and Trans Rights movements do not exist in a vacuum: they must be intersectional. The recent Black Lives Matter protests pushing for defunding the police also recognize that the first Pride event was a riot led by Black transgender women; the first brick was thrown by drag queen Marsha P. Johnson. People of color, transgender people, people experiencing homelessness, and other marginalized communities are also the most likely to be affected by COVID-19 and climate change.
500 Women Scientists stands with the transgender community and is committed to advocating for justice for all transgender people. We firmly oppose the decision to revoke anti-discrimination protections for transgender people seeking health care. We are in a moment where people across the US and around the world are marching and advocating for justice.
But we cannot have justice for all if we do not fight for every single person.
Take Action
Support the HRC in their plans to sue the Trump administration over the reversal of anti-descrimination laws protecting the transgender community .
Understand the full impact of the proposed changes by reading here and here.
Vote for candidates that fight for LGBTQ+ rights in local, state, and federal elections. Find election information for your area here.
Call or write your Senators and Representatives about the bills impacting the LGBTQ+ community in your state. If your state does not have protections from discriminating against trans people, email your legislature!
Support transgender organizations like Trans LifeLine. They are an important resource for the trans community. Since 2004, they have provided resources, a hotline, and microgrants. Other great organizations to support include: Transgender Law Center, Trans Justice Funding Project, Borealis Philanthropy, The Okra Project
The National Center for Transgender Equality has some good resources and action guides. You can donate and support their efforts.
If you or someone you know can provide inclusive care to LGBTQ+ folks, submit your practice to this RAD Remedy database and this Health Professionals Advancing LGBTQ Rights database.
Follow these amazing transgender people: @Lavernecox, @GeenaRocero (founder of Gender Proud), @lynnconway, @edenlane, @msjamieclayton, @rachelvmckinnon, @JuniperLSimonis, @fakerapper, @deanspade @leahlakshmiwrites (co-author of Beyond Survival).
If you are Transgender and need support, call the Trans LifeLine. US: 877-565-8860 Canada: 877-330-6366