Transgender Eradication

Columnist discusses the impact of bigotry against the transgender community.

BY KAYLE LENZO ’25

On March 27th, a 28-year-old transgender man killed six people at an elementary school in Tennessee. Recently, in the media, Republicans have been weaponizing this instance to attack trans issues instead of addressing gun control. Due to their gender identity, transgender people bear the brunt of discrimination. They face violence regularly in our schools, our homes, law enforcement, and with government officials. As a member of the transgender community, I’m scared for the safety of my family and the future of the LGBTQIA+ population.

According to Gun Violence Archive, an project tracking mass shootings, from 2018 to 2023, there have only been three mass shootings done by transgender people, compared to 2,826 carried out by cisgender people. In today’s polarized politics, the Republican party’s primary strategy is platforming anti-trans narratives, excluding trans perspectives, accusing them of silencing transphobes and basing legislation on fake science.

I’ve been paying close attention to the recent development of Ohio’s HB68 bill. The bill calls for bans — for transgender people only — on hormone therapy, gender-affirming surgery, vasectomy, and oophorectomy and declines the right to meet with a therapist about being transgender. Republicans are trying to pass these carbon-copy bills throughout the whole country. As of April 2023, according to LegiScan, a database tracking legislation, over 45 states have proposed anti-trans legislation. In the past four years, 12 states have enacted laws restricting or banning gender-affirming care. Three of the 393 proposed bills have passed this year, all affecting trans healthcare. This year’s bills include bill H0071 in Idaho, SB99 in Montana, HB2238 in Kansas, and SB0480 in Indiana.

Bills like H0071 in Idaho, named the Fairness in Women’s Sports Act, call for genital inspection for athletes suspected of being trans. Including the genitalia inspection, the legislation also restricts trans women and girls from participating in female sports. Trans men and boys are not affected. The bill was signed on April 5th and is being enforced on July 1st. This bill feels disgusting to me, and it’s invasive for young students and clearly violates trans and cis women’s Fourth Amendment rights.

Regarding the negative outlook of trans healthcare for children, a paper published by JAMA Network contradicts anti-trans lawmakers’ views. The study followed 104 transgender and nonbinary children, ages 13 to 20, over the span of one year as they received care at a clinic. This study, and many others like it, found those who received gender-affirming hormones or puberty blockers had 60% lower odds of depression and 73% lower odds of selfharm and suicidal thoughts. According to the National Library of Medicine, within a three-month period, most antidepressants only have a 44% success rate. Without proper healthcare, the suicide rates of trans people could drastically rise.

The dehumanization of trans- gender individuals has also led to poverty and abnormal suicide rates. Trans Equality did a study on 6,450 transgender and gender-nonconforming participants and found 41% of respondents reported attempting suicide compared to 1.6% of the general population, 51% were harassed or bullied in school, 61% were the victim of physical assault, and 64% were sexually assaulted. According to the American Census, transgender people are four times more likely to have a household income of less than $10,000 annually. In comparison, the yearly income in Upper Arlington is $74,000.

According to the Human Rights Campaign, in reports of violence against transgender people, most — if not all — of the victims are misgendered in statements, which delays the awareness of deadly incidents. In 2021, the Human Rights Campaign tracked a record number of violent fatal hate crimes against transgender and gender non-conforming people — with over 50 fatalities tracked. The public should pursue respect for transgender and gender non-conforming people.

From my perspective, the Upper Arlington public could help the local transgender community by protesting the passing of the HB68 bill. We are witnessing the beginning of the eradication of transgender people in America. We aren’t only losing the rights of trans people; we’re losing the lives of trans people. The misinformation and misrepresentation must be stopped — we are people too.