If you haven’t been paying attention to the news (no judgement, I really get it), maybe you haven’t heard, but Trump’s Administration has been thinking of changing the legal definition of sex under Title IX — the federal civil rights law that bans discrimination in education on the basis of gender — that would render immutable the sex of a person at birth. In other words, the government would only recognize the gender that relates to a person’s genitalia. Trans* identities would not exist legally under this change, which means that trans* rights would also cease to exist.
Here are a few things that could happen if this federal policy (for non-Americans, this means a nation-wide policy) passed:
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Gender affirmation surgeries and hormone treatments would no longer be recognized or covered by health care
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There will be an increase in black market hormones and surgeries
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Increase of violence against trans* people, especially trans* women of color
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No one could legally change their gender, and an application to change one’s name on the grounds of trans*ness could easily be rejected
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Bathroom Bills like in North Carolina would have federal support
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Suicide rates of trans* people will increase
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Any legal definition of a trans* person
This is the tipping point though. Trump has been leading up to this since the beginning. He’s been carrying out anti-trans and anti-queer policies from day one.
You may think that I’m exaggerating, but I’m not in the least. I would love to downplay what’s happening in the States right now and tell you that everything will be fine and that they can’t hurt us. But that’s just not true. A policy like this is devastating, and not only psychologically threatening, but physically threatening as well.
People have been asking me the same thing, “What can I do?” I’ve broken this down into four categories of what you can do as: a trans* person, a cis person, any person, a foreign person.
What you can do as a trans* person:
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Take care of yourself. Make yourself the highest priority, see your therapist, do your regular workouts, whatever keeps you psychologically at your highest game.
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Ask for help. It’s hard and sometimes we don’t even know what we need, but try and ask for help from friends and family. Don’t pretend like you can do this yourself, because that is what community and family is for, chosen or biological.
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Share this article. Then you won’t have to engage with every single person you meet. Just share me and I’ll do it for you.
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If you feel safe and able:
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Answer questions. Engage with cis people, especially those in the LGBQ community. We are not obligated to answer questions and we deserve these rights, but NOW is the time to fight. Now is the time to answer questions, talk to people, be triggered, be angry. Our feelings are valid and we need to use them and focus them to get shit done.
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Post personal experiences on social media.
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Throw metaphorical bricks. Or real ones. I’m not stopping you. Stonewall was a riot, not a party.
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What you can do as a cis person:
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Show up for trans* people. What does this mean? Be politically active for them. Put yourself on the line, make other people uncomfortable by calling them out. Educate people. I absolutely expect you to be at rallies or marches if you can. Posting articles is great, but actually engaging with people on behalf of trans* people, standing next to trans* people and holding signs, telling your colleague that they are transphobic are absolutely invaluable and go a long way to helping us with much less effort on your part than ours.
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Check on your trans* friends. Send them a message asking how they are and asking what you can do. Sometimes just listening to their fears is enough.
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Listen to what they need, share their social media posts, educate yourself, and ask questions when you can’t find the answers.
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Do practical things for your friends like get groceries, do admin work like phone calls or opening letters. Things that are easy for you but sometimes impossible for your friend.
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Look up your local LGBT organization (especially a TPOC organization) and ask what you can do for them.
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Donate to a trans* organization. Here is a list of credible organizations that will use your money effectively. These aren’t the only ones though. If you know a local organization don’t hesitate to donate to them.
What we all must do:
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Vote. You must vote, because it is the most powerful tool you have.
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Even if our voting system is messed up, it’s still the best you’ve got. Make sure you research the candidates, research the policy proposals. Do the work and make an INFORMED vote. This is especially important in any States that have queer/trans* issues at stake. If you think your vote doesn’t make a difference, look at this interactive map of just the amount of sway queer voters could have had in the last election.
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Here is how to vote. Figure out when and where you vote, how to get an absentee ballot, the status of your registration, etc. Don’t be afraid of the answers, be afraid of not asking the questions.
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If you live abroad and vote absentee, do whatever it takes. Ask friends and family to take or send your ballot for you if need be. I don’t know about other States, but Michigan allows you to give power of attorney to someone else in case you are for whatever reason unable to complete the ballot yourself.
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Contact your representatives. I would say this is as important as voting right now. Your representatives are meant to represent YOU.
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It can be overwhelming to figure out how to do that, but there is a handy tool called Resist.bot which you can use to VERY easily contact your representative via FB Messgenger, SMS, Twitter, etc.
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Here is an example of what you can write. You can even copy and paste this message if you want:
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“I strongly oppose and am deeply disturbed by Trump’s potential policy to render the gender assigned at birth immutable. Trans* people make up 0.6% of the population, and deserve equal rights. Taking away a legal definition is the first step to wide-spread hate crimes and discrimination. This policy is not backed by science, and goes against all research of gender and sex. It also allows for no definition of intersex people, which make up 1.7% of the population. I vehemently oppose this policy, and would like you to speak out against it.”
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Attend marches/rallies. Find out where a march near you is. If there is no march, start one. Contact your local trans* or LGBT organization and ask them for help in organizing something. If not, here’s a guide for organizing a rally.
What you can do as a non-US citizen:
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Contact the White House: You can’t contact representatives directly because they need to verify you’re a constituent, but you can always contact the White House with concerns.
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Contact representatives in your country: Trans* rights is a human rights issue, and thus an international issue. Contacting your representatives in your home country will make them aware of this problem.
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Start/Sign petitions: This is probably one of biggest things you can do, because anyone internationally can sign petitions in support or in opposition to something.
- Attend international rallies/marches. If there isn’t one near you, create one. This works best in big cities. There is a history of protests outside of the US against Trump, so it’s not unheard of by any means.
Remember: None of us is free until all of us are free.
Glossary:
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trans* = umbrella term for any identity that does not align with what one was assigned at birth
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cis = cisgender; when one identifies with the gender they were assigned at birth
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intersex = person born with variations in sex characteristics including chromosomes, genitals, hormones, and gonads
- TPOC = trans people of color
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