OPINION: Trans Rights are Human Rights, and Human Rights are Trans Rights – The Cauldron

A few weeks ago, I was having coffee with a friend who had returned a few days earlier from visiting Guatemala, a country that, according to the Human Rights Watch organization, provides “LGBT people with virtually no protections.” The topic of conversation turned to the advancements that the LGBTQ+ community has made in the United States over the past fifty years and how, for the most part, the efforts have been accomplished. This, in turn, caused me to mention that the fight for LGBTQ+ rights is not singularly centered around the gay or lesbian experience, and that it is far from over, especially for the trans community. I drove home reflecting on how many other people think that the fight for equality has been accomplished. 

I have never been naïve enough to fully believe that the fight for the queer community was nearing. But perhaps that is because, as a Latino gay man, and first-generation United States citizen, I have always felt like my existence was a threat. Thinking about the discrimination that I have faced, the extent has never evolved past being called the stereotypical homophobic slurs by my high school bully or the occasional altercation I have had with people in the supermarket who are disgruntled when they hear me speak Spanish over the phone. I am acutely aware that my experience as a gay man living in the United States is distinct from that of any transgender person. Still, I believe that as a member of the LGBTQ+ community, I have a responsibility to support and stand in solidarity with my trans brothers and sisters.

Over the course of the last few months, I have seen a constant intensification in the vitriol and attacks that the trans community has received; When I hear political commentators like Matt Walsh question the existence of trans people or when governors like Ron DeSantis openly support banning gender-affirming healthcare, like hormone therapy for patients, I can’t help but think that all of these attacks are reminiscent to the same rhetoric that was employed to degrade and harm the homosexual population during the 60s and well through the 80s. Many people describe gender dysphoria as “a mental illness,” following the same line of thinking that was attributed to homosexuality, and it wasn’t until 1973 that the American Psychiatric Association stated that homosexuality was, in fact, not a mental illness. The same attacks that were being made about homosexuality 50 years ago are sprouting up again, but this time being employed to harm and attempt to erase the trans community. Not only that, but the trans community is also one of the most vulnerable groups in the country. For example, in 2022, “at least 38 transgender individuals were killed by violent means.” According to the Williams Institute at UCLA, transgender people are “over four times more likely than cisgender people to be victims of violent crimes.”  

I firmly believe that the country faces more pressing issues than drag queens who are reading short stories to children who are accompanied by adults or someone’s gender identity. The country faces issues like the over 10,000,000 undocumented migrants currently living in the country who have no pathway to citizenship; or the nearly 600,000 DACA recipients who live in migration-limbo, not being United States citizens but not being entirely undocumented. If that is not enough, perhaps the rampant school shootings that the country experiences, or perhaps the lack of healthcare access, or maybe the 37.9 million people living in poverty, or what about the 54% of adults that read below a sixth-grade reading level? Legislators should try to improve the lives of those living in the United States, not make it harder to simply exist. In a country that many consider to be the greatest in the world, no one should be attacked or ridiculed for who they are. 

I have never been someone who imposes my beliefs onto others, and to the reader, do not take this as my way of wanting to force you to believe in something that goes against your religious beliefs. But what I am asking for, however, is for you to take into consideration the humanity of the trans community, for you to take a moment and try to empathize with them. I am reminded of the passages found in the book of Mark 1:40-45, when a leper, ignored and ridiculed by society, approaches Jesus and asks for healing. Instead of ignoring the leper, Jesus does the unthinkable, and He lays his hand on the leper and cures him; Scripture says, “Jesus moved with compassion” (KJV Mark 1:41). When the rest of society had forgotten and deemed the leper unworthy, Jesus extended his hand and offered a space of comfort and healing. Instead of employing religious doctrine to attack or dehumanize the trans community, I believe that we should be operating more like compassionate and understanding individuals. 

I am not asking you to support, endorse or even validate my existence as a queer person or that of the trans community. Still, I am asking for you to rethink the language that you use and the perceptions that you have when referring to this community. Perhaps I will never understand the experience of a trans person, but what I can do is use my voice to bring awareness to this truly beautiful and deeply caring community. The fight for LGBTQ+ rights is far from over, and although the country has made strides to have the liberties we enjoy, in the words of Martin Luther King Jr., “no one is free until we are all free.”

Disclaimer: This article in no way reflects the views of The Cauldron and its staff. It only reflects the views of the columnist.