Tag: gender

ans people make up less than one percent of the entire population of the United States. That translates to about 28 million people age 13 and older. They receive a disproportionate amount of vitriol from state and federal government. They are harassed and judged; violence is done to their person; they are mocked and disrespected.

So far, in 2026, 29 states have passed 126 bills and 125 have been signed into law. A total of 41 states are considering anti-transgender legislation with over 700 bills under consideration nationwide. They all target the trans community in some way. Recently Kansas recalled all the drivers’ licenses of trans people and will re-issue them conforming to the gender to which they were born.

In 2025, 896 anti-trans laws were introduced. Three states led the way in the number of bills targeting the trans community: Oklahoma 53 bills, Missouri 50 bills, Tennessee 40 bills.

The focus of most of the bills has to do with which bathrooms people use, the presence and participation of trans people in sports, limiting or eliminating gender-affirming care, and limiting legal recognition.  In some states, it is a criminal offense for health care providers to offer age-appropriate trans medical care. In some states educators are prohibited from discussing gender identity and sexual orientation. Some legislation seeks to penalize teachers or counselors who support social transition, even making it a felony.

Anti-LGBTQI hate groups and legislators across the country have overridden the recommendations of the American medical establishment when it comes to transgender care. As a result, transgender youth experience significantly elevated rates of suicidality, with studies showing 71-78% reporting feelings of hopelessness and 25-30% attempting suicide in a 12 -month period. Transgender, non-binary and gender expansive teens are more than five times more likely to screen positive for suicide risk compared to their cis-gender peers.

Transgender adults have disproportionately high rates of suicidality compared to the general population. Studies show 32% to 50% lifetime suicide attempt rates in comparison to the cis-gender population. Intense stigma, discrimination, family rejection, religious hatred, access to gender affirming medical care are the root cause.

In short, there is a nationwide effort to erase the presence of the trans community. Removing the terms “transgender identity” and “sexual orientation” from all federal regulations effectively eliminate legal protections against discrimination. By defining gender in strictly binary terms, male and female, the trans and non-binary community is effectively erased. The normalization of hateful rhetoric and the removal of legal protections increase the risk of physical violence and hate crimes against the transgender community, especially transgender women of color.

We know from history where this ends. Nazi Germany systematically persecuted the LGBTQ population as a threat to the German race and “traditional” gender roles. Between 1933-1945, an estimated 100, 000 men were arrested with 5,000-6,000 imprisoned in concentration camps, where as many as 60% died.

It is frightening to think that concentration camps in Germany didn’t start with Jews, but with the LGBTQ community. It was a convenient target that trafficked in the general population’s homophobia. The same dynamic is at work in the United States. The White Cristian Nationalists stoke a narrative that the LGBTQ community is dangerous to children and family values and must be stopped. This is furthered in conservative news media, and as a result the White Christian Nationalists and the conservative media feed off each other.

What is most troubling is the largely silent Christian church. The belief that every person is created in the image of God and is loved by God unconditionally is strangely absent from public discourse. We all know the loudest voice wins. The LGBTQIA+ community needs a strong Christian witness that pushes back against the dominant narrative. The voice of compassionate cis-gender allies is desperately needed.

Here’s what you can do:

• Find out what legislation has been filed in your state. Write to your legislators to oppose any anti LGBTQ+ legislation. Write to the legislators who filed the legislation and set forth your position.
• Write letters to the editor of your local newspapers educating the public on pending anti LGBTQI+ legislation.
• Encourage your church, your pastor and your friends to care about this issue.
• Educate yourself about transgender identity and counter anti-trans talk when you hear it. Passing comments betray beliefs.
• Educate yourself about social reality and be prepared to counter anti LGBTQIA+ hyperbole.
• Grow your own faith response and be prepared to articulate it.
• Encourage your church to host an LGBTQIA+ coffee house or gathering space. Don’t underestimate the power of a safe space for people to meet.

The words of Martin Niemoller are pertinent:

First they came for the Communists

and I did not speak out

because I was not a Communist.

then 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.

First they came for the LGBTQIA+ community

and I did not speak out because I was not LGBTQIA+.

It goes on from there. At some point it will be you.

Now is the time to speak.

Sources

Human Rights Commission

American Civil Liberties Union

Williams Institute

Anti Trans Bill Tracker

TheFlax.org

Holocaust Memorial Day Trust

So, I’m just wondering why the CEO of United Health being shot on a Manhattan Street is an act of terrorism and (another) school shooting is not considered terrorism. Anybody being shot for any reason is a tragedy and there is no way that gun violence can be excused in any setting. Yet we have been dealing with school shootings (83 so far this year) since the 1700’s when four Lenape Native Americans entered present-day Green Castle Pennsylvania, shot and killed schoolmaster Enoch brown, and killed nine or ten children (reports vary). Only two children survived. I’m just wondering if the violence of these Natives was related to yet another example of having their land stolen, their people being senselessly killed and their way of life threatened.

I’m wondering how politicians, in good conscience, can continue to be owned by the NRA, which effectively circumvents any meaningful gun control in the United States.

I’m wondering why the Trans community is the target of such vitriol when they make up less than one percent of the entire population of the country. Twenty-four states have pending legislation to limit access to health care for the trans community. According to the National Institutes of Health, eighty two percent of trans teens have attempted or seriously considered suicide. These numbers are only going to increase as the incoming administration targets the trans community.

I’m wondering how we, as a nation can continue to give carte blanche to Israel to conduct a systematic genocide against the people of Gaza. I wonder where the outcry for the people of Gaza is. I wonder why it is impossible to say anything against Israel without being called antisemitic. The truth is that Israel is guilty of war crimes and needs to be called to accountability in the international community for systematic murder of Gazans in the name of defeating Hamas. Thanks to American technology, Israel has access to weapons that can blow the top off a can of soup, but instead they choose widespread bombing campaigns with high civilian losses.

I’m wondering about the implementation of Project 2025 and what it will mean to poor and marginalized communities. Equal marriage, decades of progress in civil rights, social justice and equity particularly for African Americans are on the chopping block. Social safety net programs like SNAP and Medicaid face drastic cutbacks. I’m wondering how the American people can be so blind to the truth that Project 2025 is going to cause widespread suffering to the poor, those with food insecurity and those at risk for homelessness. I’m wondering if we are so self-centered as to think that as long as we are okay, it really doesn’t have anything to do with us. I’m wondering where the “love your neighbor as yourself” part of the gospel has gone in our corporate American religious life.

I’m wondering what will happen to our planet as hard-won regulatory restrictions against fossil fuels are rolled back. I’m wondering how close we are to the point of no return. Sometimes I wonder if my war on single-use plastics at home is making any difference, if burning wood instead of fossil fuels contributes to the health of the planet, among other things I do to try and live lightly on the earth. I’m wondering if we have forgotten that two and two and fifty make a million, and if we all did what is ours to do we could make a difference.

I’m wondering why everyone blames inflation for high grocery prices when the truth is that grocery chains are posting record profits. I’m wondering if the American people know they were played when political candidates promised to lower grocery prices for hard working middle class families. In reality, unless there are government checks on price gouging, nothing will happen to reduce grocery prices.

I’m wondering why the health care industry is completely owned by insurance companies. Before 1993, insurance companies were not-for-profit. The focus was on providing medical care. Now the focus is on making profits for shareholders. Premiums continue to rise and benefits continue to decrease. Increasingly artificial intelligence algorithms make decisions about the kind and amount of health care one can receive. I’m wondering when the whole system is going to implode, or as seems more likely, health care will be a privilege of the increasingly rich, while the poor will continue to have less access to care and poorer health outcomes.

I’m wondering where our capacity for outrage has gone. As the old saying goes, “If you’re not outraged you’re not paying attention.” I think it is true. We are not paying attention because the changes that are gradually happening have not caused us a sufficient amount of pain. I’m wondering how we became so selfish, so self-involved, so unconcerned for others while still claiming to be followers of Jesus. Incidentally (not really), Jesus was all about the poor and marginalized. I’m wondering how the church of Peter and Paul’s time went from being on the cutting edge of announcing an upside down realm to being the chief holder of the status quo.

Maybe it’s me, but I’m just wondering.