Republican's Complicity In Transgender Genocide
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Republican's Complicity In Transgender Genocide
The progression of anti-transgender legislation and its resemblance to the stages of genocide is an urgent call to awareness and action.
According to the U.N., genocide means any of the following acts committed with the intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial, or religious group, as such:
Killing members of the group;
Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group;
Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part;
Imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group;
Forcibly transferring children of the group to another group.
Last November, the Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention voiced its concern over the growing number of laws that target transgender individuals and the transgender community. In a statement, they said they believe that the so-called “gender critical movement” behind these laws is a fascist movement furthering a specifically genocidal ideology that seeks the complete eradication of trans identity from the world.
Texas Republicans’ strategy is clear, instead of an all-out ban on transgender individuals, they are targeting transgender healthcare making medical transitioning impossible in the State of Texas. This is the same approach they used leading up to the overturning of Roe vs. Wade, targeting the healthcare instead of the person.
State-supported social violence against the transgender population is genocide.
This is not hyperbole or a conspiracy, although some on the right like to paint it this way. The word “genocide” brings up a lot of emotions, and it’s not a word to be thrown around lightly.
Republicans want to eradicate transgender people. The bill that passed in the Texas House yesterday, S.B. 14, has one purpose: to stigmatize and deny the transgender community of equality. Their reason is that they don’t believe in the transgender identity and the issues they face.
Despite being presented with the evidence, Republicans ignored the science, facts, and data that support gender-affirming care. And they espoused widely debunked opinions to justify their ban on gender-affirming care. The reality is that over 97% of all people receiving gender-affirming care have reported being happy with their decision to seek social or medical transition, according to The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism.
Only about 5% of people detransition due to unrelated health issues, financial complications, or pressure from societal factors, such as the government, friends, or family members. However, of the 5% who detransition, 62% of those individuals retransition.
There are indisputable statistics that gender-affirming care among transgender people, regardless of age, is overwhelmingly beneficial to their mental health and well-being.
Limiting, banning, or outright criminalizing medical care access severely affects them. It has been proven time and time again by a plethora of credible medical institutions that gender-affirming care saves lives.
The Holocaust Memorial’s Ten Stages of Genocide.
Depending on who you ask, we’re between stages five and eight.
The people who deny what’s happening to transgender people in America is genocide because their minds go to physical murder. They might say that transgender people aren’t being systematically killed. (Although they are. We’ll get to that.)
Those who deny it fail to realize that in previous genocides, like the Holocaust, Rwanda, Darfur, or Cambodia, one group didn’t just wake up one day and decide to murder an entire group of people. It was a process.
Classification, symbolization, discrimination, dehumanization, organization, polarization, preparation, persecution, extermination, and denial.
The list of stages of genocide was drawn from a specific analysis of events that led up to the Holocaust, where the analogous moment would be widespread public demonization of the Jews through lists of Jewish crimes. The assumption in using this list is that this is the same structure we expect to see in the run-up to a transgender genocide.
Propagandists spread lies about transgender people and LGBTQ people “grooming” and “mutilating” children and quietly encourage vigilante mass killings to support these false claims.
There have been acts of violence against transgender people all around the country. These acts are being promoted quite openly by significant right-wing media figures and politicians. We cannot underplay the significance of these murders. The murders of transgender people have doubled in the past four years, and Black transgender women are most at risk.
Not only are anti-trans violent hate crimes occurring at higher rates than before, but they are becoming larger in scale. For example, consider the recent shooting at Club Q in Colorado Springs. A shooter entered the club as it was closing a drag show amid a dance party. Armed with an AR-15, the shooter shot and killed five club patrons, injuring 17 others. The shooting occurred just a day before the Transgender Day of Remembrance.
Banning gender-affirming care for minors is only the latest action taken by Republicans in Texas.
Last year, Ken Paxton sought to round up a list of all the transgender people in the state. Greg Abbott directed the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services in February to investigate those who seek gender-affirming care for their children. The order came days after Attorney General Ken Paxton issued a nonbinding legal opinion classifying certain types of gender-affirming care as child abuse.
Gender-affirming care is age-appropriate care that is medically necessary for the well-being of many transgender and non-binary people who experience symptoms of gender dysphoria or distress that result from having one’s gender identity not match their sex assigned at birth.
By preventing doctors from providing this care or threatening to take children away from parents who support their child in their transition, these bills prevent transgender youth from accessing medically necessary, safe health care backed by decades of research and supported by every significant medical association representing over 1.3 million U.S. doctors.
It’s time for people to acknowledge an active genocide toward the transgender communities in Texas and, more widely, the U.S.
The steps that are taken toward the eradication of a people never seem huge. It’s always something small and easily defensible by those in power, like banning gender-affirming care for minors. As a result, the GOP has deniability in more minor decisions made dangerous in the context of a disastrous precursor for minority groups.
Transgender genocide is not hyperbolic. It’s not an exaggeration. It’s real. It’s here, and the right is openly calling for it and passing bills right NOW to restrict the transgender movement and existence. We are already on the path to genocide.
The ten stages of genocide—where are we?
Classification: “Trans women are threatening women’s sports. They need to have their division.”
Symbolization:
Discrimination: Bathroom bills, healthcare bills, Medicaid bills, etc.
Dehumanization: “Perverted. Mentally ill. Pedophiles. Groomers. Child molesters. Sexual predators.”
Organization: In Texas, the SPLC has identified the following LGBTQ-hate groups; Mass Resistance, Tom Brown Ministries, Stedfast Baptist Church, Probe Ministries, and Concerned Christian Citizens. However, other groups pushing the anti-tans agenda include the Republican Party of Texas, the Texas Public Policy Foundation, Texas Right to Life, and the Texas Scorecard.
Polarization:
Preparation: CPAC speaker Michael Knowles says, “Transgenderism Must Be Eradicated.”
Persecution: Ken Paxton sought to round up a list of all the transgender people in the state.
Extermination: ……….
Denial: ………..
What can you do?
First and foremost, fucking vote. We are at a point in our history where Republicans are trying to erase our neighbors and friends. We have to get them out of there.
Here are some resources about being an ally of the transgender community:
Human Rights Campaign: Be an Ally - Support trans equality.
The Trevor Project: Guide to being an ally of transgender and non-binary young people.
National Center for Transgender Equality: A guide to being a good ally.
Educate yourself and others. Learn about transgender issues, history, and rights. Then, share this knowledge with your friends, family, and community to raise awareness and combat misconceptions. So much of the right’s hatred is seeped in ignorance. The best way to combat ignorance is with knowledge.
Support transgender organizations and activists. Donate or volunteer for organizations that advocate for transgender rights and provide support to transgender individuals. Amplify the voices of transgender activists and listen to their experiences and perspectives.
The organizations in Texas doing the work include:
Participate in peaceful protests and demonstrations advocating for transgender rights. Show solidarity with the transgender community and demand equality and justice. Actively support and uplift transgender voices and experiences. Stand up against transphobia, discrimination, and violence whenever you witness it. Be an ally by listening, learning, and taking action to create a more inclusive and accepting society.
The situation facing transgender communities in Texas demands urgent attention and action. Targeting transgender individuals through laws and policies constitutes a form of state-supported social violence amounting to genocide.
While some may dismiss this claim, the reality is that the systematic erasure and denial of transgender identity mirror the early stages of historical genocides. The escalating violence and hate crimes against transgender people underscore the urgency. By advocating for transgender rights, educating ourselves and others, supporting transgender organizations, and participating in peaceful protests, we can work towards a more inclusive and accepting society. It is crucial to recognize and address this active genocide to ensure the safety, well-being, and equality of transgender communities.
Republican's Complicity In Transgender Genocide
Everyone knows about the genocide by the Nazis against Jewish people but almost no one knows that the first groups the Nazis attacked after attaining power were sexual and gender minorities. Targeting transgendered people is just the first step of the overall fascist project by Republicans. I hope more people wake up not only to defend our transgendered brothers and sisters but also as a form of enlightened self-interest.