One Step Forward, Three Steps Backward

In the last couple of weeks I have been focusing on trans athletes and anti-trans legislation because of the growing attacks on us. We need to start planning on ways to counter their hate now before it becomes too late.

First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a socialist.

Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out— because I was not a trade unionist.

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.

The Republicans have already come for the socialist, the Jews and Muslims, the foreigners, the trade unions, and now they are coming for us and next marriage equality. 

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First the step forward, one state legislature has seen the light!

Transgender sports bill called bureaucratic and possibly unconstitutional, defeated by South Dakota Senate committee
South Dakota's Senate State Affairs Committee on Wednesday, March 3 voted to defeat a measure seeking to "promote continued fairness in women's sports." Opponents said the bill, which passed the House last month, was discriminatory under federal law and would've unduly opened up the state to lawsuits.
Grand Forks Herald
By: Christopher Vondracek
March 3, 2021


Led by a Senate leader's rebuke of a bill as a "big-government, liberal" action, a South Dakota legislative committee voted 6-3 to send a bill critics said would effectively ban transgender children from sports to the 41st day, parlance in Pierre for defeating the measure.

Rep. Rhonda Milstead, a Hartford Republican, who appeared only days ago on a Florida stage at CPAC, tried galvanizing the wary Senate State Affairs Committee on Wednesday, March 3 to look past the objections raised over her "fairness in women's sports" bill, noting every opponent who spoke was male.
[…]
But her bill's undoing, said Senate Pro Tempore Lee Schoenbeck (R-Watertown), was not in the language of social identities, but rather in its proviso requiring every student athlete in the state to send a document to a bureaucratic building in Pierre documenting everything from sex type to drug test results.

"I would describe (this bill) as a liberal, big government approach," said Schoenbeck, noting the measure wasn't appropriate for "a state like ours."

So my guess is that you will see this bill back again in another form since they were against the reporting part of the bill.

Then we have other states moving forward with their anti-trans bills and some of them want to criminalize us.

Sadly Mississippi has no such qualms about their bill.

Mississippi passes bill banning transgender student-athletes from female sports teams
The bill now heads to the governor's desk.
ABC
ByMeredith Deliso
March 3, 2021


Mississippi legislators have passed a bill that would ban transgender athletes from competing on female sports teams in schools and universities -- one of over two dozen similar measures proposed by state lawmakers nationwide this year.

The state House voted 81-28 Wednesday to pass the so-called Mississippi Fairness Act. It passed the state Senate last month, 34-9. The bill now heads to Gov. Tate Reeves for approval.
[…]
Idaho became the first state to pass a law banning transgender women from competing in women's sports last year. A federal district court suspended the law and it has yet to be enacted.

I see a challenge of these laws or similar laws going all the way to the Supreme Court.

Missouri House committee hears emotional testimony for legislation regarding transgender high school athletes
Fox 2
By Emily Manley
March 3, 2021


Lawmakers in Missouri’s capitol are discussing if voters should decide if transgender students should be required to play sports on the team that reflects the sex on their birth certificate.

The representative sponsoring the bill said he filed it to protect girls from losing the chance to go play sports at the next level, but those testifying against the bill Wednesday night asked for transgender people to not be discriminated against.

“I’m sorry, I’m just really emotional over this,” Columbia resident Kelsey Thurman said during a committee hearing Wednesday night. “This is a waste of everyone’s time, it’s transphobic, it’s hurtful and it serves no purpose in the state legislature.”

Then over in Minnesota they are playing one-upmanship with our lives.

Transgender student-athletes could face criminal penalties in new proposed bill
KSTP
By Jessica Miles
March 3, 2021


As captain of her cheer and tennis teams at her Minneapolis high school, N.G. has always felt supported by her teammates.

"Something that always gave me comfort and hope was the safe space of tennis and cheer," she said. "To be able to walk into my high school proudly wearing my uniform, that made me feel safe that really made me feel like I belong."


But as a transgender female high school athlete, she's also had to do things most others have not, like defend her identity.

"For us to sit here and criminalize those who are trying to figure out who they are, it's ridiculous," she added.

A new bill introduced at the State Capitol has advocates questioning what comes next for transgender athletes.

"It’s just really despicable that politicians would play games with children’s lives like this," said Jess Braverman, with Gender Justice.

The bill would restrict male student participation in female athletics, and restrict male access to female changing facilities.
[…]
The bill would also impose criminal penalties against students who don't abide by them.

The question to ask if why this multi-prong attack on us now?

It is no coincident that all these bills were introduced on their own in different state. The Republican is making an orchestrated attack on us, they think that they can use us against the Democrats in the next elections.

Transgender rights emerge as a growing political flash point
The Washington Post
By Matt Viser, Marianna Sotomayor and Samantha Schmidt
March 3, 2021


President Biden on his first day in office signed an executive order expanding protections for transgender students. On his sixth day, he repealed the ban on transgender members of the military. On his 16th day, he threatened sanctions against countries that suppress transgender rights.

And on his 37th day, his nominee for assistant secretary of health sat for a confirmation hearing to become the first openly transgender federal official confirmed by the U.S. Senate.

Biden is pursuing a little-noticed but sweeping effort to remake transgender rights in America, which in turn has sparked a conservative backlash and fed into Republicans’ efforts to portray Democrats as extreme on social issues. Among other arguments, conservatives are increasingly seizing on the much-disputed notion that embracing transgender rights threatens women’s sports.
[…]
“It is not news that in 2021, transgender people are participating in sports consistent with their identity — this has been happening for decades,” David said. “Ask yourself, why is this only now a problem? It’s a problem because anti-equality forces understand their flawed rhetoric doesn’t work anymore. They need a target, and they need an enemy to mobilize their base.”

Yup, and we are its punching bag.

The intensifying battle over transgender rights reflects the tension over a range of issues that have little to do with Biden’s specific policies but reflect a belief that his presidency represents broader forces in American life.

The Republicans don’t care how many lives rune. They don’t care how trans children die at their own hands. For the Republicans it is winning at any cost.

Just look at how the Republicans handled the Senate confirmation hearing for Dr. Rachel Levine…

Senate Republicans have raised the topic repeatedly during confirmation hearings, with Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) questioning Biden’s nominee for assistant health secretary, Rachel Levine, on transgender medical treatments while falsely asserting that puberty blockers can cause irrevocable changes.

Puberty blockers are life savers!

Then look at CPAC last week where Trump attacked President Biden's trans policies. We were one of the major themes of conference picking on us.

The Republicans are doing focus groups on us to see how they can do the damage.
Terry Schilling, executive director of the American Principles Project, has long been trying to shape a message on transgender policy for Republican political candidates. The group’s polling last year, he said, suggests that many voters — including Biden supporters and those who otherwise back LGBTQ rights — oppose letting athletes who were assigned male at birth compete in women’s sports.

“We found that the women’s sports issue was not only exceptionally powerful, but it also had the benefit of not being exclusive,” Schilling said. “It was something that our organization could convince politicians to champion.”

Mark my words… we will see us brought up in future elections. We need to work on a strategy now to counter this hate because it is not going away.