Lets Talk Trans Rights
Time to Speak Up
Throughout human history, minorities have been attacked by those in the ‘majority’ for political or personal gain. Whether this be the targeting of people of colour, the segregation of the Irish, the demonisation of Gay men or the malicious attacks on migrants. Time and time again, those in fragile positions of power select a group and begin a targeted campaign consisting of hate, misinformation and fear. When I was growing up through the 2010s, the selected group was migrants. Mainly those from Syria and the middle east escaping deadly conflicts. In recent years, however, populist politicians and right wing political parties have switched focus to the transgender community. A group that was already stigmatised, ostracised, and vilified. A group I happen to be a member of.
Growing up, I never would have thought that one day I would be a member of a community that was the target of an organised culture war by politicians, media pundits and clerics. My parents never thought that their child would be the target of verbal abuse on a daily basis and at risk of physical violence just for being themselves. The horror stories I was once taught in school about how gay men in the 1980s were treated, were now becoming my reality.
When I began publicly presenting as a woman, using she/her pronouns and using my new name, my life changed. It changed for the better. It gave me a real opportunity to be the most authentic version of myself. My transition allowed me to be happy for the first time in years and allowed me to gain confidence in myself. I could finally love me.
The quickly changing politically landscape in the United Kingdom, Europe and the Unites States of America was something I was not counting on. In the latest American Presidential election, the Republican party spent upwards of $100 million on anti-trans ads across the country. Their goal was to galvanise people against the trans community and paint Donald Trump as the only person able to deal with the ‘woke’ agenda supposedly being pushed on them. In the UK, the Conservative party and to an extent Labour, have shifted attention to the trans community and have begun targeting them in the media, through policy and on social media. The US once considered a beacon of freedom and the UK once considered an accepting country for LGBTQ+ people, have both turned their back on a minority in need of defending.
This is all to say that when I came out I had to change things about my life. My personal safety has become paramount. Not only as a woman but as a trans woman. My social media has been made private due to an increase in trolls and threats. I don’t use certain facilities due to fear of aggression by strangers and I don’t go to many countries as they don’t accept me.
In this new landscape I find myself in, I think back to the groups before us who were targeted. How growing up I was inspired by James Baldwin, Harvey Milk, and Malala Yousafzai. Their ability to stand up not only for their themselves but for their community is something that sticks at the front of my mind. Despite the hatred they stood up to those in power an demanded change.
It is with the legacy of those activists and champions of human rights that I have begun this website. Although not on the same level of the aforementioned, I would be remiss if I didn’t speak out about the challenges my community currently face.
I will be following political developments that impact trans people from the UK to Europe to America and combining that with my own interpretations and opinions. My lived experience as a young trans woman has a direct impact on my writing and how I chose to comment on particular issues. I will never hide my true opinion. I will aim to cut through the blur of laws or policy papers and present a clear picture of what is happening to the trans community.
Today, the trans community faces possible legal erasure in America, complete alienation in the UK and a roll back on rights across the world. Today more than ever we need your support.