Politicians want you to be mad at trans people so you don’t have enough time to realize you should be mad at them. They are making a common enemy of trans people so that people don’t realize that politicians are the enemy.

And too many of you are falling for it.

There were no reports about trans assailants in restrooms.

No trans athletes dominating competitions.

No medical expertise behind cutting off gender affirming care.

It was all made up.
Fabricated.
Fake.

But what happened to cause any of this panic and to warrant the alarming amount of legislation against one tiny percentage of our population?

Nothing.

By 2017 trans people were banned from the military.

By 2018 there was legislation banning coverage for gender affirming care.

By 2019 trans people were getting banned from sports teams.

North Carolina started the public outcry against trans women in bathrooms.

Not long after bathrooms, locker rooms entered the conversation.

So by January 2016, it felt like amazing progress to hear the President acknowledge us, even if by initial.

Then came HB2.

Anti-trans and cissexist laws had existed before this, but this modern wave was the first to really be publicized.

What led to that? Visibility.

In May of 2014 Laverne Cox graced the cover of Time Magazine declaring “The Transgender Tipping Point.”

In June of 2015 Caitlyn Jenner took the cover of Vanity Fair with “Call Me Caitlyn.”

Happy Pride Month to you.

Happy Pride Month to the gay lisp and the butch nod.

Happy Pride Month to people who don’t trust Corporate Pride or Rainbow Capitalism.

Happy Pride Month to people with an identity that doesn’t fall in the LGBTQ acronym.

Happy Pride Month to trans people who still go by their assigned name.

Happy Pride Month to non-binary bisexual people who practice non-monogamy.

Happy Pride Month to butch lesbians who look like they would protect me if I needed it.