I Agree Mostly…

I agree that it is not really Equality that we should strive for but rather Equity. On Medium Eli Erlick writes,

In an era of unprecedented visibility, the transgender community is at a crossroads. Do we work transgender people into current systems such as education and the military or do we work to significantly transform these structures and society as a whole? While the majority of media attention has gone towards integrating trans people into the dominant culture, is this the right decision for the community? Many activists, scholars, and community members say no.

I totally agree, the focus should not be assimilating in to society but rather to be able to live our lives as we want. If you notice the Connecticut non-discrimination law nowhere in the law does it enforce the binary, it doesn’t say that your gender identity and expression has to either male or female.

Equality is something that only benefits the most privileged of the community. In the past year alone, over 1,000 people, mostly people of color, have been killed by police. While most police protect white cisgender citizens, they disproportionately target transgender people, particularly transgender people of color.

And those that are usually targeted are those who do not fit into societies binary, they are the ones who do not visually conform to the gender binary.

What I do not agree with in her essay is what she says about hate crimes,

Hate crime legislation does nothing to protect trans people. Instead, it only increases sentencing for offenders. Is doubling a 7-year sentence going to deter crime? Statistically, the answer is no. Hate crime laws do not look at the roots of the problem, including systemic racism and transphobia. Individualizing the problem by sending one person to prison does very little for our community as a whole and does not work within a restorative justice framework…

But that can be said about any crime. Most criminal justice systems do not go to the root of the problem, social injustice. Drugs, gangs, street crimes, and others acts of violence has its roots in socioeconomic inequality.

…People who have committed these acts can be educated along with the public on transgender issues, which will actually stop the violence. This is not to mention many people incorrectly think anti-transgender victimization has ended when hate crime legislation has passed — and then proceed to ignore the perpetual violence we still face. Hate crime laws are just one of many examples of where “equality” fails to work for the trans community.

I do not believe education can end violence, it will help alleviate violence because of hate but it will never eliminate it. Violence against protected classes is increasing, the number of hate crimes because of race and religion has increased along with attacks on LGBT people.

We recognize motive when it comes to violent crimes. Killing someone is not just one charge but we break it down to motive, manslaughter is usually divided into voluntary and involuntary manslaughter. While murder is usually divided into first degree murder which usually involves deliberate planning, premeditation, or malice, and second degree murder without premeditation or deliberation.

Hate crime laws are not to end violence but rather goes to the motive behind the crime. Assaults are also broken down by motive and the difference in all three it is the difference to which one person injures another person. A hate crime is because of the motive of the attack, the violence is not just directed at the individual but at the community.