Tuesday, October 24, 2023

Some Can Flee


But most can’t flee and have to hope that they make it through safe in body and mind.
More Than 100K Transgender Youth Live in States Impacted by Restrictive Laws: Study
The study also found that almost 150,000 trans youth live in states that protect transgender rights.
The Advocate
By Jacob Ogles
October 23 2023


About 100,000 trans youth in America live in a state that took a basic quality of life element away this year. Some lost the ability to stay on a youth sports team while others lost access to essential health care, or countless teens lost the ability simply to use the restroom of their choice.

A new study by UCLA’s Williams Institute found roughly a third of transgender teenagers in the U.S. between ages 13 to 17 had access to one or more of these rights compromised as a wave of anti-LGBTQ+ laws kicked into effect across numerous states.
However, that means 66,000 do not have access to healthcare!!!!
“A record number of laws impacting transgender youth were introduced in state legislatures in 2023,” said lead author Christy Mallory, legal director at the Williams Institute. “While most of them did not pass, the ones that did significantly shifted the legal landscape for transgender youth.”
The only reason why the laws are being passed is for political gain. The fact that these youth will be scarred for life doesn’t matter to the Republicans.
Segregation of school bathrooms under the guise of protecting students grew especially, with six states enacting new laws. An estimated 32,700 trans teens now live with restroom and changing room restrictions at schools, and of those, 23,600 live in states with newly implemented restrictions, including those in Arkansas, Florida, Iowa, Idaho, Kentucky and North Dakota.
Do you know when else “protecting our children” was used to prevent some from going to the bathroom? One of the justifications for racial segregation was to protect children.

I asked ChatGPT:
Was one of the justification for segregation protecting the children?

Yes, one of the justifications put forth for segregation in the United States during the era of Jim Crow laws, which enforced racial segregation, was the notion of "protecting the children." This argument was used to defend the practice of segregating schools and other public facilities.

Proponents of segregation argued that it was necessary to protect white children from what they perceived as negative influences or harm that might come from attending integrated schools. They claimed that racial integration would lead to interracial socialization and potentially disrupt the social order and values of the white community.

However, it's important to emphasize that this argument was fundamentally based on racist beliefs and stereotypes about Black people. It falsely portrayed African American children as threats to the well-being and morality of white children, when in reality, segregation perpetuated discrimination and inequality.

The "separate but equal" doctrine, established by the 1896 Supreme Court case Plessy v. Ferguson, allowed for segregated facilities as long as they were purportedly equal in quality. In practice, these facilities were rarely equal, with Black schools and other institutions often receiving significantly fewer resources and inferior treatment compared to their white counterparts.

The Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s challenged these justifications for segregation, leading to landmark Supreme Court decisions like Brown v. Board of Education in 1954, which declared state laws establishing separate public schools for Black and white students to be unconstitutional. This decision marked a significant step in the desegregation of American society.

Then I asked the AI...
Compare and contrast banning blacks from white bathrooms to banning transgender students from using the bathroom of their gender identity?

ChatGPT
The comparison between historical racial segregation, such as banning Black individuals from using white bathrooms, and the contemporary issue of banning transgender students from using the bathroom of their gender identity revolves around issues of discrimination, civil rights, and equality. Here's a comparison and contrast of these two situations:

Comparison:

Discrimination: In both cases, individuals are being singled out and denied access to public facilities based on their identity. Racial segregation and bans on transgender students using the bathroom of their gender identity are both forms of discrimination.

Civil Rights: Both cases involve civil rights issues. Racial segregation during the Jim Crow era violated the civil rights of Black individuals, while banning transgender students from using the bathroom that corresponds with their gender identity can be seen as a violation of their rights to equal treatment and freedom from discrimination.

Social Stigma: In both situations, there is a social stigma associated with being part of a marginalized group. Racial segregation perpetuated negative stereotypes and reinforced racial hierarchies, while bans on transgender students using the bathroom that aligns with their gender identity contribute to the stigmatization of transgender individuals.

Contrast:

Basis of Discrimination: The basis of discrimination differs. Racial segregation was based on skin color and the historic oppression of Black people, while the discrimination against transgender students is based on their gender identity.

Historical Context: Racial segregation has a deep historical context in the United States, particularly during the Jim Crow era. While transgender rights have a historical context, the contemporary debate over bathroom access is part of a more recent discussion.

Legal Framework: Racial segregation was prevalent and legally sanctioned, leading to a series of Supreme Court decisions overturning these laws, most notably in Brown v. Board of Education. In contrast, the legal landscape for transgender rights is still evolving, and protections for transgender individuals vary by jurisdiction.

Visibility and Awareness: The issue of transgender bathroom access has gained attention in a more public and widespread manner due to increased awareness and advocacy in recent years. Racial segregation, although it had a significant impact, was addressed during a different era with different media and communication dynamics.

Intersectionality: It's important to recognize that there can be overlap between these two issues, as transgender individuals can be of any race. Transgender people of color, particularly Black transgender individuals, face intersectional discrimination based on both their race and gender identity.

In conclusion, while there are similarities in terms of discrimination and civil rights violations, there are also key differences in the basis, historical context, legal framework, and awareness surrounding these two issues. The struggle for transgender rights is part of the broader civil rights and equality movement and represents a contemporary challenge to societal norms and prejudices.
For trans people we see this as a battle for our Human Rights, whether we get to live our true lives in peace or forever looking over our shoulder wondering if we will be arrested.

For Blacks during the era of Jim Crow they had the Green Book that had safe places you could go safely when you traveled, for us we have “Peeing in Peace.”

1 comment:

  1. My state, Washington, has codified gender affirming and anti-discrimination. To my recollection the only negative experience women had with males using a "ladies" public bathroom was a pervert masquerading as a woman wearing a dress; setting up cameras in a library. He was not trans; just a run of the mill pervert. However, over the many years the persons arrested for sexual transgressions against women have been males in trusted positions such as athletic coaches, clergy, scout leaders, male relatives.

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