Donald Trump has made his opposition to transgender rights central to his closing argument before Election Day.
Summary
Trump and Vance have made anti-transgender attacks a central part of their campaign, using demeaning language and misrepresentations to portray transgender individuals as a threat to national identity.
Harris has largely ignored Trump’s attacks but has pushed back on his characterization of her stances, noting that federal policy allowing transgender military personnel access to gender-affirming medical care was in place during Trump’s presidency.
Advocates like GLAAD’s Sarah Kate Ellis and Charlotte Clymer warn that Trump’s approach fuels hostility, marginalizing vulnerable communities and creating a culture of animosity instead of understanding and empathy.
I was in a store and heard a radio ad for the Republican senate candidate that made it sound like the most important issue in the election. Not climate change. Not inflation. Not education or defense or the economy. No, the issue that should decide the election was whether "boys" would be playing in "girls" sports.
Oh, and because it was about trans women being in women's sports it ended with "We don't need those nuts in Congress," a joke about pre-transition women's genitals.
There are ways to integrate trans athletes into lots of sports, if the will is there to do that. You're right, there's no conversation about that happening, just fear mongering and transphobia.
In NY State, we have a state-wide proposition that extends the anti-discriminatory language in the Constitution, currently just covering "race, color, or creed", to a whole host of other categories, including national origin, disability, gender expression, pregnancy outcomes, and reproductive healthcare. They even take the time to replace "his or her" with "their" in the clause. The important bit is supposed to be the pregnancy parts, because it was initially proposed as a way to put abortion access into the State Constitution:
The opposition to it has been all over the map. I see signs saying to vote no on the proposition to "protect women's sports" and "stop funding health care for illegal immigrants". No signs at all saying to vote no in opposition to abortion: I think even the Republicans here know that is a non-starter. But I think it's telling that all these signs are asking people to vote "no" on an anti-discrimination amendment because they think these people need to be discriminated against. It's hate all the way down.
Ah, over here in Montana both the senate and western district house race are HAMMERING Trans people like high school sports is the most important thing in the entire world. Absolutely pathetic. Makes me sick.