LGBTQ+ People Are Not Going Back

#LGBTQNotGoingBack

Today, Dec 3rd, the next legislative cycle begins for the US House and Senate. Tomorrow, Chase Strangio & the ACLU argue in front of the Supreme Court for trans rights in US v. Skrmetti. LGBTQIA2S people, particularly trans people, are very much up for debate in the US at the moment. In 2024, somehow we are debating the personhood of an entire group of people, which is a woeful state of affairs for the US to be engaged in, considering the litany of actual problems we have that deserve our collective attention. This is why many of us in the LGBTQIA2S community are working together today in a coordinated effort to speak to the people of the US. You'll likely see several pieces using the same title, and that is by design so that, as a community, we can have a collective conversation with all of you, though we'll all approach it differently.

We are now 4 weeks out from the 2024 election, and one thing seems to be clear at this point: trans people are a target. This is for no other reason than we make excellent rage-bait in the tit-for-tat legislative power struggle. As a nation, we've prioritized this type of discourse over one that goes to work to enable the democratic experiment. Indeed, our elected officials have become social media influencers instead of policymakers, whether it's Nancy Mace being the first to take shots at Sarah McBride or a slew of Democratic pundits and electeds blaming trans people for the election loss to gain "likes" on various cable shows.

This desire to be a political influencer masks what is being toyed with here ... people's lives and our ability to continue to exist. Make no mistake that the immature one-upmanship on display in the public forum is political brinksmanship that will cost trans lives. And the problem with that is that neither side seems to care what happens to the people in question. All they DO care about is scoring the next point in the game, yet these cosplayers of democracy face no actual risk while they toy with trans lives. The game they want to play is one where the losers, trans people, get the prize of cruelty, calls for eradication, and the erasure of the trans community from public life and life in general.

Here's the thing: I'm not going anywhere. I will not hide, I will not obey in advance, and I will not self-censure. You cannot drive me back into the closet or into the casket, no matter how hard you try. And if you cannot understand that this is real and happening right now, then you have the privilege of not being a sacrificial pawn in the shittiest political game of chess.

If you think this action is justified because of the "Trans agenda," let me tell you what my agenda is. Daily, I get out of bed at 6:05 with my wife and get our kid off to middle school, which starts at the ridiculous time of 7:30. I then get some exercise and clean up for work at my tech job, where I create the business strategy that enables payment platforms. I eat lunch and dinner, watch the news, and then watch something like The Rings of Power or Bridgerton. I pay my bills on time, including my taxes, take care of my yard, and go on vacation. I celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, and holidays. I pay my respects to relatives who've passed, like my mom. I like fireworks displays, Broadway musicals, sci-fi movies, and reading good books. I vote and pay HOA fees and any traffic violations I might have. I open the door for people who need it and always say please and thank you. Also, I'm trans; I wrote a book about it. I work to ensure people who are trans have support, know there is a life worth living, and help them find friends who show up for them. We laugh, we cry, we love, we mourn, and we're your neighbors. The discomfort some people have with us shouldn't warrant a death sentence. I support my community as a part of the civic duty I was raised with by a family that never slept on their role in our democracy.

I don't know, but it seems like it would be easier for people to talk to me, their neighbor, and tell me why they feel uncomfortable so that we could work it out instead of enabling elected officials to execute me for drawing breath near them. Listen, I'm not a fan of their rebel flag, their taste in camo pants, or the way that their wife does all the labor in their house with probably fewer accolades than she deserves, but I'm not going to call for anyone's execution because of it.

I don't care what kind of America they subscribe to, but it should never be the one where we are calling for the eradication of our citizens. Our parents and grandparents joined the fight to end that practice over 80 years ago in Nazi Germany. My grandfather(Navy Lieutenant) and grandmother(Army Nurse)were injured in the line of duty in WW2 and would be horrified that their grandchild would go through the same threats and terror they fought to end.

Let's not equivocate here: anti-trans efforts are not only un-American, they are deadly. Is this not a nation where everyone has the right to pursue life, liberty, and happiness?

Let me make this plain for America ... do we really want to engage in the attempted eradication of 1.5 million people like me as a political platform that will in no way improve the quality of life for anyone? It's not going to improve the economy, job outlook, the stock market, free trade, regulations, medical care, or the cost of pharmaceuticals. Has removing 10 trans women from sports at an elite level across the country made women's sports fairer when we haven't addressed the lack of funding, research, access to adequate training facilities, and rampant sexual assault within women's sports that has gone unaddressed and unpunished for decades? Please show me the data on how trans people have so maligned America that we deserve eradication.

Tell me exactly when we're going to stop this anti-liberation movement if not now. And if not now, who exactly do we think will be left to help stop the ever-faster rolling ball of extremism? It is unconscionable to allow a group of people to be eradicated for any reason. And it is at its most reprehensible to allow it to happen for political influencer points.

So, sitting Democrats, elected Democrats, and future Democrat candidates, let's review those election results from 4 weeks ago, where a felon won by just 1.6% of the vote, one of the smallest margins in the modern era. We can't win an election ever again without the LGBTQIA2S community.

Here's the deal: fight like hell for us, or get a pink slip next election cycle. We will no longer tolerate the current state of affairs as if there is some honest debate to be had, because we don't vote for people who enable our eradication. More people who support trans and all LGBTQIA2S rights vote in this country than the party can ever afford to lose. Now is when our elected officials should be using their time in office to prevent the deaths of innocents.

What now?

Share this article and all the other versions you come across everywhere you can. Send them all to your elected officials at every level of the government - to your mayor, county officials, judges, governor, representatives, and congress members. Use your voice to help magnify ours.

We are not going back!

Erica Vogel is the author of Advice from Your Trans Aunty. Her book is available wherever you buy books.