Alice Wade is an aerospace engineer from Dover and treasurer of 603 Equality.
The following excerpt is from an online discussion between Michigan and Ohio legislators discussing how to advance anti-trans policies in their states.
“When it comes to endgame, why do we allow this behavior to anyone? Why do we stop this for people under 18, but not for people over 18? I think that ultimately we need to consider that,” said Michigan Congressman Josh Shriver.
Ohio Rep. Gary Click, who has proposed a bill to ban transgender athletes from participating in women’s sports, said Shriver’s comments were a “very wise idea” and that gender-affirming He added some advice for Republicans seeking to decriminalize care.
“Reuters asked me once, “Now all the states that are blocking children’s procedures have had to close their gender clinics, and adults are feeling bad about not being able to get treatment.” Is that bad?’ And I said, no, I don’t feel bad. You have to take it a little at a time, one bite at a time. ”
Never before had a lawmaker laid out his strategy so openly for all to see. If we start with bite-sized pieces, banning trans women from sports, denying minors access to life-saving medical care, and preventing LGBTQ+ topics from being discussed in schools, we can end up with We will reach the “end game”.
Its ultimate goal is to deny all transgender people access to health care, to persecute them for wanting to exist in bodies they are comfortable with, and to allow anti-trans politicians to deny our place. It forces you back into the thinking closet.
Nevertheless, the argument continues that these discriminatory laws are intended to help children. Twenty-three states and a growing number have banned all forms of gender-affirming medical care for minors, against the recommendations of all major medical associations.
Parents desperate for care for their children have been forced to flee their home states. And even that may no longer be safe, as Texas recently sued hospitals that provide gender-affirming care in other states in an effort to obtain private medical records.
In New Hampshire, the House of Representatives recently passed HB 619, a bill that would ban transgender youth from undergoing gender-affirming buttock surgery in the state. It passed with not only Republican votes but also 12 Democratic votes. why? Because Congressman Jonah Wheeler (D-Hillsboro) spoke right before the vote and he said,
“The only objection to the [this bill] This amendment in particular opens the door to other bad trans bills, but I don’t think the slippery slope fallacy applies here. ”
I could almost forgive his naivety if it weren’t for the constant attacks on trans rights happening here and across the country.
How many bills have been drafted here in New Hampshire this year alone that attack transgender rights? 17. There are 17 bills that would completely prohibit repeal, forcing teachers to send students to their parents, and banning books.
The medical care these politicians are banning is saving lives, including mine five years ago. Nevertheless, a small but vocally anti-transgender lawmaker consistently exaggerates the amount of transition-related regret. They lie and fear-monger for cheap political wins, claiming that many regret the transition.
Here are some quick statistics to show how obviously false this story is. There are few studies on desexualization, but the average is between 0.3% of people who have had buttock surgery and 2.5% of children who identify as transgender five years later.
And of that small percentage, the majority detransitioned because they faced external social, familial, and economic pressures that made it impossible for them to continue. It’s not because they no longer consider themselves transgender.
I don’t understand how a cisgender person’s regret is worth more to them than a transgender person’s life.
I recently testified at a hearing on SB 562, which prohibits transgender people from using the restroom that corresponds to their gender identity. One person said she didn’t believe that transgender people had much higher rates of suicide attempts, and she also didn’t believe in what she called the “trans suicide myth.” Another person described gender-affirming butt surgery as “slaughter” right in front of me. She has no words to describe how hurt she was to hear that.
These anti-trans bills are not designed to help children, they are preventing children who need care from getting it. And they won’t stop at banning medical care for transgender youth or banning discussion of LGBTQ+ topics in schools. The goal is to stigmatize and spread misinformation, which is why we need to stop all of these bills.
If you understand the need to protect transgender rights here in New Hampshire, please join us in the state legislature and show that our freedoms cannot be taken away. Our lives and livelihoods are at stake in this fight. Call your state representatives and tell them you oppose anti-trans bills and tell Governor Sununu to veto these bills when they arrive.