West Virginia Bill Would Mandate "Curing" Trans People Of Being Trans Under 21

[emeraldmountain2]

6 hours ago, awkward-yet-sweet said:

I'm pretty sure that won't happen. 

Your reasoning?

 

The right wing plans to bring this idiocy nationwide. It is their stated goal, in writing. Don't count on so-called "state rights" to matter anything to them. The majority of their leadership only cares about state rights when it comes to protecting their own ideology.

[KayC]

I know ALL of this is so very discouraging and in-fact dangerous for our Community.  And we have all watched the litany of media and legislation aimed directly at us.

But, please take a quick look at this article - History of the Anti-Gay Movement -

 

https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/intelligence-report/2005/history-anti-gay-movement-1977

 

As I have said before ... we have seen this 'Playbook' in use, dating all the way back to slavery, post-slavery Jim Crow, anti-immigrant (past to present) and more recently the anti-gay movements of the 70's-80s and on into the new century.  It took 30 or 40 years for our gay and lesbian allies to finally extricate themselves from what we are going through right now.  I am sure they never thought they would see the day the could live openly as themselves ... but it did happen.

I sincerely hope that it doesn't take that long.  But regardless I think we have history, and a certain portion of humankind on our side.  Let's stick together, be visible, be valuable citizens within our communities, and most of all - STAY SAFE 🙏❤️

[KatieSC]

1 hour ago, Betty K said:

No, for me thing to really feel bad about is that kids in West Virginia are very likely going to be brainwashed into hating themselves for being trans. And even if they’re not — even if this bill doesn’t pass and/or therapists en masse refuse to obey it — this attitude will trickle down to their schools and to people in the street and maybe even to their own families, and the result may be roughly the same. I can’t think of any freedom that’s more important than the freedom of a child to be themselves without the state attempting to mandate their perception of their own identity. 

The other thing with messing with the kids is how the blockade of care affects their future. For the life of me I cannot figure out how the Republicans can even imagine that these kids are being forced to change genders. The other issue is what forcing someone to go through a puberty as the gender they do not want to be, does to these kids. I knew I was trans as a kid. I had no way of expressing it. I was scared to say a word. I put off transition for decades. In the case of the male-to-female kids, they will be forced to develop a deeper voice that can be problematic later. They will likely have bigger hands and feet. They may be taller. Many of the kids may develop a very masculine face that may take very expensive feminizing surgeries that they will not be able to easily afford. These kids will develop beards, and then be faced with the torture of electrolysis. So the Republicans think they are protecting these kids because a couple of detransitioners were unhappy that their lives were not magically better. 

 

Transition does not make anybody's life magically better, but at least we are our truest self. The constant harangue of how bad we are, and how some media outlets portray us, add up to a very hostile environment in some regions of the country. We are sentient beings with hopes and dreams too. There are many of us that are religious. There are many of us who have fought for our country, or have done public service. There are many of us who try to contribute to the greater good. There are also many of us who are having difficulties. There are some transgender souls who will not survive to next week either through suicide, homicide, or other difficulties. There are some of us who struggle with depression just like any cisgender individual. The Republicans who are on this hunt fail to recognize that we are human beings too, with every right to have a peaceful and supported life. 

 

We will continue to face micro-aggressions, overtly hostile aggressions. Make no mistake; we are in for some rocky times. I cringe when I think what could happen in the next 13 months. It seems odd how the clock has crept forward, and the time keeps flying by. We need some miracles to occur.

[emeraldmountain2]

1 minute ago, KatieSC said:

The other thing with messing with the kids is how the blockade of care affects their future. For the life of me I cannot figure out how the Republicans can even imagine that these kids are being forced to change genders. The other issue is what forcing someone to go through a puberty as the gender they do not want to be, does to these kids. I knew I was trans as a kid. I had no way of expressing it. I was scared to say a word. I put off transition for decades. In the case of the male-to-female kids, they will be forced to develop a deeper voice that can be problematic later. They will likely have bigger hands and feet. They may be taller. Many of the kids may develop a very masculine face that may take very expensive feminizing surgeries that they will not be able to easily afford. These kids will develop beards, and then be faced with the torture of electrolysis. So the Republicans think they are protecting these kids because a couple of detransitioners were unhappy that their lives were not magically better. 

Exactly. They are the ones causing harm, not the people helping trans kids. As is so typical of these right wing monsters, projection is their specialty.

[KathyLauren]

10 hours ago, Audrey said:

No one I know would stand for policies that would deliberately harm clients, and we take our commitment to ethics deeply seriously. It cannot be legislated away and has the support of numerous professional organizations including the NASW.

 

Hopefully, all professional associations are setting aside large legal defense funds to encourage their members to defy these laws. 

 

The courts can't overturn unjust laws on their own.  Someone has to defy them, get convicted, and appeal that conviction before the courts can pay attention.

[KatieSC]

Just now, KathyLauren said:

The courts can't overturn unjust laws on their own.  Someone has to defy them, get convicted, and appeal that conviction before the courts can pay attention.

More worrisome Kathy is that the courts have frequently become a partisan playground as well. What do we do in these places where the states have a legislative super-majority against us, and they have the ultimate court authority strongly aligned with that super-majority? I see that in a number of the Red states, the courts have upheld the bans on transitional care for children. 

 

Yeah, someone may wind up getting convicted and have a long time in the slammer. There is more I could say, but I would just get in trouble. The other reality is that it takes a lot of money for legal representation. I feel more bullied every day.

[Betty K]

8 minutes ago, KatieSC said:

I knew I was trans as a kid. I had no way of expressing it. I was scared to say a word. I put off transition for decades.

 

I think that is true of most of us, Katie. I can't quite say I knew I was trans, because "transgender" was not a word anyone knew in the time and place I grew up, and nor did anyone imagine that such thing as a trans child could exist. But I knew something was up with my gender, and I was policed very heavily and taught early on that it wasn't acceptable. And yes, I put off transitioning for decades. But I've realised that, no matter what bad things happened to me throughout all those decades, the fact that I couldn't be openly myself as a child is probably the single saddest aspect of my life. I agree with basically everything you've said here, but, fundamentally, I just don't want any more children to suffer. I think living with big feet and a deep voice is easier than living with the scars of several years of self-hatred at such a tender age and in such isolation. At least, it has been for me. I'm hurt that I don't pass and I probably never will, but I'm far more hurt that I suffered abuse and brainwashing as a child.

 

35 minutes ago, KatieSC said:

For the life of me I cannot figure out how the Republicans can even imagine that these kids are being forced to change genders.

 

People "believe" all sorts of crazy conspiracy theories. Or do they? I think maybe a few hardcore nutjobs believe them, but imo most people just fool themselves into thinking they believe them so as not to face uncomfortable truths. The uncomfortable truth in the case of trans people is that these people are bigots. They hate us with a lizard-brain revulsion that totally bypasses rational thought. And, for centuries, western society has encouraged them in this. But they -- or many of them -- are also aware that bigotry is a "bad thing", and so they latch onto conspiracy theories to convince themselves that they're not actually bigots, but just "concerned parents" or "protectors of women and girls". Well, that describes some of them anyway. Others are just indifferent to us and vote on other issues entirely. And still others are simply capitalists manipulating the bigots and nutjobs to distract them from the many ways in which they're raping the planet and the economy.

 

 

[Keera]

I only have a basic understanding of U.S politics so if I could just make a general comment.

Our predicament is that no one really understands what transgenderism is...not even trans people.We speak about a 'feeling'.Well a 'feeling' for many is not a very persuasive arguement especially for intolerant people.We are really open to attack because of this and rely on people's acceptance of something no one really understands.

Us trans have to do what we do otherwise we die inside but how do we convince others of that? Not easily.

For the most part we are beautiful, gentle and peaceful people.....we are good for the world.Badness has always opposed goodness....it's what it does...it's intolerant of what is good.Maybe that's what it comes down to...good V Evil.As I write this I am alone at home dressed from head to toe in Keera's clothes including make-up and jewellery and feeling very much at peace.Cheers to our U.S community in the battles ahead

Love Keera

 

[Timi]

36 minutes ago, Keera said:

.... For the most part we are beautiful, gentle and peaceful people.....

 

Yes. That is our superpower and our gift to the world. We can never, ever forget that.