Transgender Rights are Human Rights
If you are someone who has, at the very least, taken a Gender and Women Studies class, you know that gender is defined as "an individual’s concept of themselves, or gender identity." Sounds like a fair definition, right? Well, the Trump administration is trying to change that definition. On Sunday, Oct. 21, the New York Times reported that a leaked memo from the Trump administration suggested they are considering changing the way this country legally defines gender. They plan to define gender as biological, meaning it will be based on the genitalia a person has at birth.
Under the Obama administration, public school restrooms, locker rooms, and showers were based on the person’s gender identity and not their biological sex. But, now the Department of Health and Human Services feels there should be one definition of gender across all federal agencies, the wrong one. According to the Williams Institute, there are 1.4 million transgender adults in this country. So, what would this new policy mean for them?
Since the policy is basically claiming they don’t exist, it will be that much harder for transgender people to argue to legally be protected from discrimination in health care, housing, employment, and education. If this policy goes through, it could mean that the government could actually make people who have legally transitioned act like the gender they don’t identify as. So, the next logical question is: What can we do to stop this? Well, the simple answer is, go out and vote on Nov. 6.
The midterm elections may seem unimportant, but they definitely matter. Right now, there is a Republican majority in the House and if the Democrats become the majority that could mean a re-examination of policies like this one. So please get out and vote in the midterm election.
