The reality is that no one should have to tell you to care about other people. We all are people at the end of every day, regardless of the color our skin, the person next to us as we fall asleep each night, the God we pray to, or the gender we identify as. These things are seemingly insignificant, until they are not. Each and every day, there is some attempting to undermine these marginalized groups in America.
The reality, is that it is the President of the United States of America himself. With the use of social media, we hear from President’s far more frequently than in years past, especially with our current Commander in Chief being a frequent fan of twitter rants. Who knew that being POTUS resulted in the time to go on twitter rants, as opposed to actually protecting the rights and freedoms of American everywhere? On July 26th, the President of the United States (though how united we all are at this time remains a challenging question) decided to tweet that after consulting with “…my Generals and military experts…the United States Government will not accept or allow Transgender individuals to serve in any capacity in the U.S. military.”
This tweet caught us all, at least those of use that have an ounce of compassion, understanding, and decency in our bones, by surprise. Except, for really, that it should not have. This man continues to attack Hillary Clinton long after the race is over, he continues to alienate himself from members of his administration who are being to drop, and the man who built an entire Presidential campaign based on spewing hate and lies. We should not be surprised by his words and actions, yet with each passing day we find ourselves continually shocked by things he does.
His statements are tone deaf for so many reasons, first and foremost showing a gross misunderstanding of what it takes to lead his country, but also, how to best make decisions for the people he claims to support. I mean, he hung an upside-down rainbow flag up during the campaign and tweeted his support, so his words must have weight. They have meaning, and promise. But Trump is not known for keeping his promise (unless you consider…nope not one example comes to mind of him actually doing what he has said he would do.)
According to an article run by the New York Times, with reference to a study by the RAND corporation, approximately 2,450 active duty members of the military are transgender. This number could vary, but nonetheless, it 2,450 estimated individuals who are directly going to be impacted by this policy Trump announced via Twitter. The Pentagon was took by surprise, directing questions to the White House, but not shockingly, they have remained relatively silent on this latest decision from the President himself.
Gender identity is something that is largely misunderstood by those without exposure to it, or at least those without the ability to think clearly. It has nothing to do really, with sexual orientation. It is not about the gender of the person you are attracted to, it is about the gender of the person whose skin you feel at home within. It is about the various parts of your body coming together neurologically that allow you to identify as the gender you are. For some, those do not match up from birth, and they endure grueling obstacles in life. They are at high risks of murder, abuse, death, drug use, suicide, then any other marginalized group. They are routinely misunderstood by the general public, and ostracized for simply wanting to feel at peace with their gender. To feel at home within their skin, to be able to not feel like a stranger within their own body. Can you imagine that for a second? To not feel at home in your own skin and the entrapment that must come along with that? It is not a bad outfit you are wearing-it is something you literally cannot escape, this feeling of not being at home in your own skin and body. You are trapped, unless you are a position to do something about it. While Caitlyn Jenner momentarily became the face of trans rights in America, not every person has the privilege that she did to transition. It did not cost her a home, a job, a family (well, it may have-Keeping Up with the Kardashians has shed various perspective on that.) Jenner, the point is, never risked the same thing as Mesha Caldwell, Jamie Lee Wound Arrow, Jojo Striker, Tiara Lashaytheboss Richmond, Jacquarrius Holland, Chyna Doll Dupree, Ciara McElveen, Alphonsa Watson, Chayviss Reed, Brenda Bostick, Sherrell Faulkner, Kenne McFadden, Josie Berrios, Ava Le’Ray Barrin. These are all trans individuals whom have been murdered in 2017 alone, according to the Advocate.
These individuals who have been murdered simply for trying to find a place in the world, and now, Trump has taken away their ability to even defend their own country. Can you imagine the bravery it must take to be openly transgender in the 21st century and defend your country knowing that you could be killed simply for being who you are? These men and women are defending my right to sit here and write this. They are defending our rights to call for Trump and impeachment, our rights to call him a blithering idiot (and more.) These are the people we should be allowing to protect us. These are the people whose bravery, courage, and selflessness we could never hope to match. Trans rights are human rights, and Donald Trump is slowly chipping away at the right to even exist in this world.
Then again, the reality is, he never really wanted them to in the first place. His marginal attempt to support the LGBT community during his campaign was minimal, and he could not even hold the flag up correctly. He seemingly does not seem to understand that by pledging his support to the LGBT community, that included the transgender community that is so often overlooked, ignored, and silenced without even having an opportunity to exist. As a gay man, I am fortunate enough to say that I have built a life for myself that grants me the ability to exist. But Trump is seemingly now backing on his promise to support not just me, but the rest of the LGBT community.
The reality is however, that I have to tell you this. We, the LGBT community, tried to tell you this during the campaign but you failed to listen.
Now, this is our new reality. I feel helpless, I feel targeted even though I know I am not targeted directly. I feel pain for the brothers and sisters of mine in the LGBT who are going to be directly impacted by this. They should not have this option to represent their country taken away from them. They should be given the same opportunity as the rest of eligible men and women across America.
Again, I remind you, that this is our reality. We have to care about others, and their rights as an American.
