What Lawmakers Can’t Take Away from Trans Youth

All members of the trans community deserve the right to be themselves, period.

Trans advocacy is a 365-day affair. The fight for inclusion, equitable healthcare, safety, and safe spaces for the trans community is ongoing and demands our attention and advocacy before, during, and after Pride Month.

That’s why we’re taking a deep dive into what trans equity looks like, the importance and execution of safe spaces, who to look to for guidance, and where we can go from here!

Understanding Trans Rights

Lately, far too many lawmakers have proposed or supported legislation that makes trans individuals feel unwelcome and unsafe. Right now, 45 states have proposed anti-trans legislation, and there are over 500 bills that could potentially be signed into law. The time is NOW to start speaking up and taking action against transphobia in all its nasty forms.

So, what exactly are trans rights? And what’s included under that colorful umbrella? Let’s start with healthcare:

🩺 Healthcare

Access to gender-affirming healthcare is an absolute must for trans individuals. From hormone therapy to top surgery and more, there’s a whole spectrum of supportive care that helps transgender individuals feel safe and affirmed in their bodies and in society. Having access to gender-affirming healthcare also shows positive mental health outcomes in young people, so it’s a win-win!

It’s also key to recognize that cis-gendered individuals have access to gender-affirming care as well, and without the same restraints their trans peers face. That’s right, things like cosmetic surgery, haircuts, and even makeup are all examples of gender-affirming care that cis individuals have access to. Gender-affirming care for ALL is more crucial than ever and shouldn’t be reserved only for cis people.

Trans youth know what’s best for them and should have access to healthcare that affirms their identity. Unfortunately, many of the anti-trans bills currently up for debate hope to slash access to life-saving, gender-affirming care.

✏️ Education

Trans rights within the education system include: affirming chosen pronouns, access to books and educational materials that include trans topics and characters, using a bathroom that feels safe, participating in school sports, and more. What does that mean, exactly? The trans community is up against legislation that would allow educators and schools to reject a student’s pronouns (and actively misgender them); ban books that contain messages of gender fluidity and the trans experience; prevent trans students from playing sports; and force students to out themselves.

All of these attacks create an educational environment that trans youth are saying, loud and clear, feels unsafe.

🪪 ID Updates

In addition to trans youth being misgendered at school, many lawmakers are pushing for legislation that would make it more difficult for them to change their legal name and/or gender on their IDs. Not only does it make a person’s transition much more challenging logistically, but it can pose serious danger for trans folks because using their ID anywhere means potentially outing themselves.

To make matters worse, restricting ID updates means that trans folks face a huge barrier to voting. In the 2022 midterm elections, over 200,000 trans people faced the possibility of voting restrictions because of state ID laws. Many voters either decided to opt out of voting altogether or face the reality of being publicly outed at their polling place. With so many laws, legislation, and leaders up for election who either support or oppose trans legislation, making sure trans voters have their voices heard is essential.

These are just three examples (of many others!) where the current state of anti-trans legislation threatens the freedom, safety, and well-being of trans people. Beyond the legal consequences of these bills lies the reality that this type of lawmaking is a breeding ground for hate, discrimination, and marginalization for everyone under the LGBTQIA+ umbrella, but especially for trans and gender-nonconforming individuals.

This influx of transphobia must be stopped, and here are some ways that you can help:

Safe Spaces as Resistance

Safe spaces are essentially places or environments that intentionally seek to protect people from discrimination, harassment, and emotional or physical harm. In the current social climate, not all spaces and places are safe for trans youth, but we can all do our part to create more of them. There’s no limit on where you can create a safe space for your trans peers, and young people are doing so in their schools, community centers, sports teams, and beyond.

While creating a safe space looks different in every community, some essentials for trans-inclusive environments include: using visual cues in the form of digital or physical stickers, having an all-gender bathroom, putting up diversity posters, having a clear non-discrimination policy, and always using gender-affirming pronouns. The sky's the limit, really!

Fostering this kind of intentionality shows trans youth that they belong and can show up in your safe space as themselves, 100%. Studies show that access to safe spaces greatly reduces a trans person’s likelihood of facing mental health risks, too.

Drivers of Change

We know that when it comes to making the world a better place for our trans peers, we can’t do it alone. There are SO many superstar organizations out there making noise, activating change, and fighting against transphobia in all its forms. Here are some of our faves:

The Trevor Project

They’re absolute legends when it comes to creating safe and inclusive spaces, showing up for young people with 24/7 support lines, and so much more. We admire their ability to create an incredible online community for LGBTQIA+ youth, too!

We were pumped to celebrate Trans Day of Visibility this year, and The Trevor Project went all-out by launching a new video series called “Sharing Space” which features candid conversations with trans youth about their lived experiences. We ❤️‍ it!

True Colors United

One of the many effects of anti-trans legislation and discrimination is an increase in homelessness among the trans youth community. True Colors United is working hard to find innovative solutions to the problem, with the unique experiences of LGBTQIA+ youth at the forefront.

Not only are they masters at creating safe spaces, but True Colors United also has its finger on the pulse of anti-LGBTQIA+ legislation and is advocating for better lawmaking on the state, local, and federal levels. Their multi-faceted approach is goooooaaaallls 🤩.

GLAAD

Telling the stories of transgender people is an essential part of trans advocacy, and GLAAD is one of the most influential leaders in the LGBTQIA+ journalism and media space. They’ve been amplifying trans voices and stories since the mid-90s, and they’ve been responsible for tackling misinformation and defamation about the trans community for decades.

Our favorite thing about GLAAD’s trans advocacy is their commitment to authentic storytelling. In a country where trans voices are being silenced by book bans and the like, it’s 100% necessary to go the extra mile to make sure they have a platform to speak freely.

Loud and PROUD!

Speaking of amplifying trans voices 📣 let’s not forget that it’s Pride after all, and it’s time to be louder than ever in our advocacy! Join Louder Than Ever and make your voice heard. We’ve rolled out three actions that will give your Pride a boost. First, read a banned book by an LGBTQIA+ author with Uncensored to support representation and trans storytelling. Then, grab some friends and brainstorm how to create safe spaces, sharing your ideas with Stronger Together. Finish off your most epic Pride yet with Drag Them, and tell your legislators that we’re here to stay, and they better step it up to protect trans youth.

Our trans peers are here to stay, and it’s our job to make sure to fight for them every step of the way. It’s on all of us to support our trans peers, regardless of our own gender identity or background. So let’s speak up and get LOUD about the damage that anti-trans legislation has on the health and wellbeing of trans youth. Their lives depend on it.