I woke up this morning to the news that the Trump regime has decided to restrict the definition of gender to the gender you were assigned at birth, based on genitalia, first via LGBT history on Instagram, and then via The Guardian:
The Trump administration is attempting to strip transgender people of official recognition by creating a narrow definition of gender as being only male or female and unchangeable once determined at birth, the New York Times reported.
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has undertaken an effort across several departments to establish a legal definition of sex under title IX, the federal civil rights law that bans discrimination on the basis of sex, the Times said, citing a government memo.
That definition would be as either male or female, unchangeable, and determined by the genitals a person is born with, the Times reported.
Such an interpretation would reverse the expansion of transgender rights that took place under Barack Obama.
This is horrifying and has widespread implications for transgender, nonbinary, and genderqueer people. It legitimizes the widely-held view that biological sex is an absolute binary, despite the fact that numerous scientific studies have shown that it isn’t.
Since the Trump regime has already started eroding the rights of transgender people, it is clear that this is part of a concerted effort to turn back the clock and remove the protections and recognition that transgender people had gained.
What to do to help
If you see a transgender, nonbinary, or genderqueer person being harassed or bullied, please intervene. Here is how to do so safely and effectively.
If you cannot intervene, then please at least take the time to support the victim afterwards and make sure they are safe.
Please do not insist that they go to the police — it may not actually be safe for them to do so.
Offer to go to the toilet/washroom/bathroom with your transgender friend, especially if you are in a place that is likely to be a hostile environment.
When going out for social events with transgender people, give them a veto on the choice of pub, restaurant, bar etc.
If your relatives and friends start talking in a derogatory way about trans people and gender diversity, don’t let it slide — challenge them.
Post supportive things on your social media feed, such as articles about gender and expressions of solidarity for trans people. Challenge any anti-trans comments.
If you have a transgender friend in a particularly unsafe region of the US, and you live somewhere less hostile, can you offer them your spare room?
Please visualize and weave protective energy around our trans brothers and sisters, and genderqueer and nonbinary siblings.
To all transgender, nonbinary, and genderqueer people
You are loved, you are valued, we see you and we cherish you. Stay safe, find your community, be with those who love you.
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Dowsing for Divinity 