It Was The Best Of Years, It Was The Worst Of Years

To paraphrase A Tale of Two Cities, we had amazing political gains and amazing setbacks and we also had an increase in violence directed against us.

In 2017, transgender community sees record political gains – and violent hostility
Behind the historic eight victories on Nov. 7, America’s transgender community sees a paradox: Both political support and hate crimes are at record levels.  So far this year, 25 transgender people have been killed, breaking last year's record.
Christian Science Monitor
By Jessica Mendoza
November 16, 2017

[…]
The historic number of victories highlights a paradox in the perception of and politics surrounding America’s transgender community. On the one hand, hostility against them is at an all-time high: This year 25 transgender people have died as a result of violence, two more than the record 23 killed in 2016. Advocates also point to what they say is a systemic effort among conservative leaders to strip transgender individuals of hard-won rights.

At the same time, the election results show that voters are increasingly willing to throw their support behind openly transgender candidates. And trans people are recognizing that support – and putting in the work to build coalitions and get themselves elected. That’s a remarkable step for a group that has long fought its equal-rights battles in the streets, if not in the shadows, says Juliana Martinez, an assistant professor at American University in Washington who specializes in gender and sexuality.

We were not alone in our victories, a record number of women have been elected to office. The election of Trump was a wake-up call and it motivated a number of women and other minorities to run for office.

The narrative fits into the surge in political activism among groups who have felt targeted by the Trump administration. Since the president’s inauguration in January, women, racial and religious minorities, and even scientists have stepped up in unprecedented numbers to run for office. That broader push helped set the stage for folks like Virginia state delegate Danica Roem, Minneapolis city councilwoman Andrea Jenkins, and Middleton to bring openly trans voices into politics.

And as long as the Republicans continue doing what Republicans do best attacking minorities and women I believe this backlash against them will continue to the 2018 elections.

Indeed, for many liberals, the excitement of the Nov. 7 elections is tempered by the fact that the victories took place at a time when minority groups feel especially vulnerable to hostility from the state. This past year, the transgender community has faced multiple attempts to pass versions of North Carolina’s “bathroom bill” and a bid by the Trump administration to ban trans people from military service.

“There are individuals at all levels of government who do not recognize trans people and their personhood,” says Tia Gaynor, an assistant professor of public administration at Marist College in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., who specializes in diversity and government. “While this is a battle win, the war is far from over.”
[…]
Middleton, too, recognizes that winning is just the beginning: “Those forces that have for decades opposed LGBT equality are not going to suddenly say, ‘Oh my gosh, we were wrong,’ and stop fighting us. We will be watched very closely.”

“It’s an opportunity,” she adds. “Now we have to make good on that opportunity.”

The 2018 elections are the Democrats to lose.