To all of our elected Kansas Democrats:
During this most recent election season, Democrats across the country heavily campaigned on the idea that a Republican victory would be disastrous to the freedoms and security of Americans. Over and over, we were told that a Trump presidency would signal the end of democracy altogether. Kamala Harris once went so far as to call Trump a fascist[1]. And yet, less than a month after the election, liberal pundits and Democratic politicians have already demonstrated their willingness to engage politely with Trump[2] while others have started pointing the finger at trans people for Democrats’ humiliating defeat[3]. If fascism is really imminent, then surely the so-called defenders of freedom would be far more militant about protecting it.
Regardless, we trans people and cis allies are highly concerned at this recent development. The panic drummed up by Democrats is something we have to take seriously as a quickly approaching reality, especially in a state like Kansas. Despite the love many of us have for our home state, the five anti-trans laws that have gone into effect here in the past two years are already causing trans Kansans to flee. Unfortunately, increasing anti-trans laws and policies across the country[4] and the world[5][6] only limit where we can go.
It is evident that we have a plethora of politicians who want to completely remove us from society. What we, your constituents, demand are politicians who are vocal about protecting us.
Of course, transphobia is not a new concept. Since antiquity, those who have transgressed gender expectations were condemned to the margins in every way possible. Medical gatekeeping, anti-queer laws, and intense anti-queer social sentiments damned openly trans people to lives of poverty, violence, homelessness, incarceration, and unemployment. Although these are still unfortunately common realities for trans people that are further magnified by the effects of racialization, womanhood, and disability, relentless trans activism over the past 50 years has made it possible for millions of trans people worldwide to live fulfilling and authentic lives. Between these gains and the normalization of the internet as an educational and social tool, transness is no longer an obscure concept.
As incredible as these gains have been, there have been drawbacks. Most obviously, our newfound visibility propelled us into an era of intense backlash. While trans people were always subject to broad anti-queer laws, we are currently seeing a proliferation of anti-trans policies specifically because people simply weren’t aware of us before now. Many of these policies are motivated by anxiety surrounding largely hypothetical situations. Trans people are frequently neglected in these conversations and even punished for speaking out – such as when Kansas State Representative Brenda Landwehr ejected at least two trans people and three additional pro-trans advocates from this year’s hearing on HB 2791[7].
Today, we are coming to you, Kansas Democrats, and demanding that you do not abandon us. Do not profess to protect us and then cede ground to anti-trans extremists like US Representative Seth Moulton has done [8]. Anti-trans politicians are not good people who are otherwise misguided – they are funded by right-wing organizations that spend millions of dollars every single year on targeting trans rights [9]. Even worse, some of these groups have even openly admitted to targeting trans people with pseudoscientific arguments as an entrance into repealing rights for cis queer individuals as well [10].
Based on polls conducted before and after the presidential election, we know that the top concerns for voters regardless of political affiliation were the economy and the state of American democracy [11] – and we know the lowest concern was trans rights [12]. The knee-jerk reaction that both Republicans and Democrats have had to turn trans people into political scapegoats does nothing but further betray the needs of the average American.
When Democrats warned of coming fascism, they were not incorrect. What is a grave mistake, however, is to fail to recognize that collaborating with extremists in place of actively fighting them is a harbinger of fascism. After all, it’s only through collaboration with liberals in the parliamentary system that fascists were able to gain control of both Italy and Germany in the early 20th century. Political scapegoating does not lead to an end of societal woes; rather, it exacerbates them significantly. The over 70 million people that perished as a result of World War II – one-fifth of the United States’ current population – provides a sobering reminder of this fact. Today, it may only be trans people who are impacted, but eventually, it will be everybody.
Just as we are watching Republicans who promote anti-trans legislation, we are watching your reactions to this legislation. We will not be shamed or bullied into voting for representatives that do not have a vested interest in protecting their constituents. We will not tolerate politicians who treat us like an embarrassing liability. We are human beings that deserve dignified lives just like anyone else.
While trans people may be a small minority, the combined power of us and our cis allies have enough sway to change the outcomes of elections. Choose wisely.
We will not forget those who betrayed us when we needed them most.
Sincerely,
Trans Lawrence Coalition
This post was written to support Julia Serano’s #LGBTQNotGoingBack action. For more information on the action and Serano’s work, visit her Substack at juliaserano.subtstack.com. All people, trans or cis, are invited to participate in this action.
[1] Merica, Dan. “Harris Says Trump ‘is a Fascist’ after John Kelly Says the Former President Wanted Generals like Hitler’s.” AP News, October 24, 2024. https://apnews.com/article/trump-john-kelly-nazis-hitler-87d672e1ec1a6645808050fc60f6b8bc.
[2] Bauder, David. “‘kissing the Ring?’ MSNBC ‘Morning Joe’ Hosts Meet with Trump to Reopen Lines of Communication.” AP News, November 18, 2024. https://apnews.com/article/morning-joe-trump-meeting-ring-cf4816dd28372a4c942d256df2e440ae.
[3] Barrow, Bill, and Marc Levy. “Trump Hammered Democrats on Transgender Issues. Now the Party Is at Odds on a Response.” AP News, November 14, 2024. https://www.ap.org/news-highlights/spotlights/2024/trump-hammered-democrats-on-transgender-issues-now-the-party-is-at-odds-on-a-response/.
[4] “Mapping Attacks on LGBTQ Rights in U.S. State Legislatures in 2024.” American Civil Liberties Union, 2024. https://www.aclu.org/legislative-attacks-on-lgbtq-rights-2024.
[5] “Alarming Surge in Transphobic Speech across Europe Sparks Concern for EU Elections.” ILGA-Europe, February 29, 2024. https://www.ilga-europe.org/press-release/alarming-surge-in-transphobic-speech-across-europe-sparks-concern-for-eu-elections/.
[6] Williamson, Myles. “A Global Analysis of Transgender Rights: Introducing the Trans Rights Indicator Project (Trip).” Perspectives on Politics 22, no. 3 (October 17, 2023): 799–818. https://doi.org/10.1017/s1537592723002827.
[7] Wirestone, Clay. “GOP Lawmaker Ejected and Intimidated Transgender Kansans. Her Hearing Was a Disgrace.” Kansas Reflector, March 4, 2024. https://kansasreflector.com/2024/03/04/a-lawmaker-ejected-and-threatened-transgender-kansans-her-hearing-was-a-disgrace/.
[8] Bauer, Sydney. “Trans People Shouldn’t Be Scapegoated for Democrats’ Failures.” The Nation, November 20, 2024. https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/trans-democrats-election-trump/.
[9] Conteras, Russell. “The Forces behind Anti-Trans Bills across the U.S.” Axios, March 31, 2023. https://www.axios.com/2023/03/31/anti-trans-bills-2023-america.
[10] Barthélemy, Hélène. “Christian Right Tips to Fight Transgender Rights: Separate the T from the LGB.” Southern Poverty Law Center, October 23, 2017. https://www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2017/10/23/christian-right-tips-fight-transgender-rights-separate-t-lgb.
[11] “National Exit Polls: Election 2024 Results.” NBC News, November 2024. https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-elections/exit-polls. [12] Brenan, Megan. “Economy Most Important Issue to 2024 Presidential Vote.” Gallup, October 9, 2024. https://news.gallup.com/poll/651719/economy-important-issue-2024-presidential-vote.aspx.
Trans Lawrence Coalition 
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