It's not Democrats who need to stop talking about trans people
What to do about a "distraction" that threatens real people's real lives
It has been a tough week for those of us who care about trans lives.
It was supposed to be a triumphant one for Sarah McBride, the Delaware Democrat who made history when she became the first openly transgender person elected to Congress. McBride was in the middle of an “awe-inspiring” new member orientation on Capitol Hill when she became a target — as so many trans people have throughout history.
Republican Rep. Nancy Mace embarked on a relentless and gleeful bullying campaign against the incoming congresswoman, telling reporters that McBride is a “biological man” who “does not belong” in women’s bathrooms. Mace devoted her social media feed to mocking the idea that McBride should be allowed into spaces reserved for women, posting video of stunts like taping the word “biological” over the sign for a women’s restroom.
“It is offensive that a man in a skirt could ever think [she’s] my equal,” Mace said later, adding: “[She’s] forcing [her] genitals into women’s restrooms, into dressing rooms, into locker rooms. It’s sick, it’s twisted.” And after Mace put forth a resolution targeting McBride, Speaker Mike Johnson announced that trans women will be banned from using women’s bathrooms. Mace has, of course, followed up with a bill to ban trans folks from using bathrooms aligned with their gender identity in all federal buildings nationwide — and she’s selling merch touting the idea.
There is little point in dwelling on Mace’s hypocrisy — it’s not like we haven’t come to expect anything else from the modern GOP. But it’s worth mentioning that Mace — formerly a self-styled LGBTQ ally — has used her experience as a victim of domestic violence to attack McBride even as she supports Trump cabinet picks who have been accused of sexual assault and rape.
It’s also important to think about the horrific potential enforcement of these kinds of bathroom bans, as Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez pointed out: Women and girls will be “primed for assault because people are going to want to check their private parts in suspecting who is trans.” As AOC said, Mace’s stunt isn’t about protecting anyone. Rather, it could empower those who decide that someone has the “wrong” genitals to try to find out for themselves.
This only increases the moral imperative for those of us who care about the dignity and safety of trans Americans to make our support for them loud and clear. If Republicans won’t shut up about trans lives, we certainly shouldn’t. We cannot give in to the temptation to just throw up our hands and turn inward; we must fight.
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