Anti-LGBTQ laws hurt transgender people and people of color

By Erykah Pasha guest columnist

The massive push from congressional and state officials toward restricting the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people is no surprise to queer people nationwide, especially Black, brown, Indigenous and other people of color. In the 2023 legislative session alone, 11 states have already introduced and are advancing 10 or more anti-LGBTQ bills.

Altogether, 311 anti-LGBTQ bills have been proposed on the state level, with 95 of these bills specifically targeting LGBTQ healthcare according to the American Civil Liberties Union. Unsurprisingly, nearly all of these healthcare bills target transgender people, whether it’s criminalizing gender-affirming care for transgender minors or blocking insurance coverage for transgender people’s healthcare, all while exempting these same treatments for cisgender people.

Different opinions are bound to be had on any legislation. However, opinions are irrelevant in the discussion of healthcare and ensuring that everyone has equal access to it. I do not care if you do not agree with my identity as a queer person. That has nothing to do with whether I deserve to benefit from the same systems, institutions and programs that straight, cisgender people do.

Fortunately, 14 of these proposed healthcare bills have already been defeated. However, 68 continue to advance, and two have been passed into law in South Dakota and Utah.

There are estimated to be 1.4 million transgender people in the United States today and of those million, around 630,000 are transgender people of color. A vast majority of the lawmakers imposing these anti-transgender healthcare bills are white and do not identify as LGBTQ themselves. It is so clear in the proposed bills that these people have no care for transgender people, and even less of a thought for transgender people of color.

How can these people who do not identify with

Anti-LGBTQ bills are implemented across states, most target healthcare access

the LGBTQ community, have no close connections with those within the community and are even more oblivious to the troubles of those within Black and brown communities — and those with the intersecting identities of being LGBTQ and a person of color — make salient legislation concerning these communities? If more of the transgender population are people of color, and more and more policies are being pushed that target transgender populations, transgender people of color are thereby being disproportionately targeted.

Black transgender people specifically are already more likely to face discrimination based on race and ethnicity without these targeted bills. Already with the slim research we have on Black transgender youth specifically, we know that Black transgender women who experienced discrimination in schools are more likely to experience negative criminallegal outcomes than their white transgender peers. Nearly half of all Black transgender people report being harassed at work and school, and nearly half of all Black transgender people also report attempting suicide at least once. Criminalizing medical care of transgender people will further institutionalize Black and Brown people, pushing them further into other systems and institutions that are also hostile toward their body and existence. Such legislation will increase these depressing statistics.

Gender-affirming support is critical for the safety and wellbeing of transgender people of color. The cost of providing this support should be inconsequential in comparison to providing a lifeline to a systematically disadvantaged community. Caring for our fellow human beings should always come first, so we must fight against these attacks on transgender healthcare and LGBTQ rights.

Yet bills such as the Florida Parental Rights in Education Act have made significant progress in the state legislature in the past year. This bill includes immensely severe consequences on LGBTQ youth, such as outing transgender youth to parents and banning all discussion of sexuality and gender in schools. Bills such as this are eerily similar to the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy of the Clinton administration. Yet, legislators still want to reinstate a policy that has already proven to be outdated, bigoted and discriminatory. freethrowstofuelaneardouble-digitcomeback.

While legislators thought these attempts to politically regress would be taken lightly, the LGBTQ community has banded together to prove otherwise. The act in Florida failed to pass the Senate, but we must continue to ensure that these bills do not go further. We must show that we won’t be silent in the face of attacks on our transgender peers, whether we’re a part of the community or not.

The specificity of these restrictions on healthcare access for any specific group of people should concern us all as Americans. There is no reason why an entire segment of the population should have to struggle so hard to benefit from life-saving medical care. People outside of the LGBTQ community do not need to care right now because these bills do not target them, but why would anyone wait until they do?

Ensuring healthcare for our transgender community members brings us one step closer to ensuring equality and equity for so many disadvantaged people in our country.

There are some incredibly impactful ways you can contribute to the fight at home. There are stateby-state trackers on how individuals can advocate against anti-LGBTQ bills in your state. Reach out to your state legislators and governors, work with local grassroots organizations in your area, or reach out to others to help with the fight remotely. We are not helpless in the fight to ensure everyone in our community has access to healthcare.

Erykah Pasha is a junior studying political science & sociology. They can be reached at eapasha@syr.edu.

Bolingbrook finished 2020 with a 26-8 record, before going 10-3 in a 2021 season shortened by COVID-19. She led the team in scoring in both seasons. Like Smith, Perkins recalls taking the podium during her sophomore year, saying that Smith believed in her while she believed in herself.

Prior to her senior year, Perkins suffered a concussion in the summer and entered the season with an ankle sprain. After the fifth game of the season, she had a fractured ankle, Smith said, requiring her to sit out for a month and a half. But Perkins returned for the playoffs, helping the team to a third place finish while leading the team in scoring. She finished the season as an All-State first team selection.

“I think it was just a matter of time before Kennedy got in the condition she needed to be and to be 100% healthy,” Smith said. “We always knew once Kennedy was 100% healthy and able to play the way she’s capable of playing, it was a no brainer.” from page 12

In the sectional championship last February, Perkins notched 18 points to fend off a HomewoodFlossmoor fourth quarter comeback. She said she “sealed the victory” in what would be her last home game for the Buccaneers. Bolingbrook eventually finished third for the second year running.

Mcgee

seriously, and he translated that into his coaching style. In his first meeting with the freshman team, McGee told the athletes that they would work extremely hard, Cooke said.

“He framed the situation really well and demanded a lot from his rowers,” Cooke said.

Following three years as the freshman coach at Brown, he became an assistant at

Perkins evolved into an elite scorer throughout high school, but Wunschl said it didn’t start out that way. When the two first started working together, Perkins wasn’t a consistent shooter. But she put in work to improve. On days where Wunschl was training multiple players, Perkins would do anything to take extra shots.

“It took a lot of time,” Wunschl said of Perkins’ jumper. “If I was in the gym, she needed to be there.”

Smith said playing at Bolingbrook “really developed” her shot from beyond the arc, but said that her “bag” was always full.

Perkins’ creativity and strength allowed her to drive to the basket, absorb contact and still get her shot off. Despite her smaller size, Wunschl said Perkins was willing to rebound and do the “dirty work.” The first time Wunschl ever saw Perkins play, she poured in 59 points.

That grit is what Felisha Legette-Jack saw when Syracuse hosted Louisville on Jan. 29. Five minutes into the game, Dyaisha Fair, Alaina Rice and Teisha Hyman all got hurt. Legette-Jack had no choice but to turn to Perkins. Fair and Rice returned, but Hyman didn’t. Perkins played a season-high 24 minutes, contributing seven points.

“I thought (Perkins) was the only guard that came in and really owned her power,” Legette-Jack said. “I think she was really the only guard that showed she can be responsive to the situation.”

Washington, saying that coaching the Pac-12 would allow him to have more resources and strong competition. While he was there, the Huskies won five consecutive national championships with his freshman team winning three in the same span.

“Guys were able to relate to him because of his path,” said Hans Struzyman, who was a freshman at Washington at the time. “His first-hand accounts helped him become a great coach.”

Struzyman recalled one particular

Perkins didn’t even commit to Legette-Jack and Syracuse until May 1, 2022. She had received her first offers all the way back in seventh and eighth grade from Michigan State and Missouri. Further down the line, Perkins received offers from mid-major and Power Five schools, including Vanderbilt and Northwestern.

Although the recruitment process started early for Perkins, she said “you don’t really know what that means.” It didn’t hit her until several programs offered her – and during her freshman year at Hinsdale South, she noticed many more people asking her about collegiate play.

“I want to play on the biggest stage that I can, which is at a D-I level at a Power Five school,” Perkins would reply.

But soon, her injuries and canceled games during her junior year affected her recruiting. Wunschl said a lot of the high-major programs started to fade away with the smaller injuries, which caused her to “not be herself all the time.”

At the AAU level, she played for the Baylor Youth Basketball Foundation alongside SU forward Asia Strong. But during her final summer, games were canceled.

Despite the setbacks, she knew she deserved to be at a top school.

“She worked too hard to go to a smaller school,” Wunschl said. “So, her thing was ‘I wanted to go to a high major.’” instance in his freshman year when McGee showed the freshmen how serious he was about sticking together and winning. About 120 people showed up for tryouts at Washington, but a lot of rowers had already been recruited, meaning most roster spots were cemented. Struzyna said McGee pulled the recruits aside and said “‘Listen. We have to find some guys to be teammates. If you give me one week of this introduction stuff, I’ll reward you.’”

The reward? The team could finally do “good rowing” after doing mixed boats all week, Struzyman said. The team had to show up to the boathouse at 6 a.m. after that, and when one guy didn’t show up, McGee made them do a 10k. Struzyman said that mindset showed how serious McGee was about doing everything as a group.

From 2012-2017, McGee served as the head coach of the United States men’s national team, stressing the same principles at higher intensity, said Struzyman, who was on that team too. At the Regatta of Death, only the top-two finishers qualified for the Olympics. The U.S qualified by a quarter of a second, later finishing in fourth place at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

“I remember getting off the water and seeing Luke (McGee),” Struzyman said. “There weren’t any words said, but we both knew it was a full circle moment, from starting in Washington to qualifying for the biggest stage in the world.”

After coaching for 14 years, McGee became the head coach of Syracuse’s women’s rowing

Legette-Jack had been hired as Syracuse’s new coach just over a month earlier and was formulating her new roster, as several players departed from the program. She said she never actually recruited Perkins. Perkins went on a visit alongside Strong, who had entered the transfer portal after playing at Wichita State.

Perkins tried out for the team that same day, and Legette-Jack gave her an offer. She had taken other official visits, and had one set up once she returned home, but it wasn’t necessary.

“My tryout went well so there (was) no need to go to any other school,” Perkins said.

Perkins has now fulfilled her goal of playing for a Power Five program, averaging 8.2 minutes and 2.4 points per game in her freshman season. She’s seen increased playing time as of late, most recently playing 22 minutes at then-No. 10 Notre Dame last Sunday. Now, she noted wanting to score more when she’s on.

Against Louisville, when Legette-Jack described her injured players as going down like “bowling pins,” Perkins was ready, mentally telling herself “it’s my time.”

“I’m coming out there and giving the energy that we need,” Perkins said. “When I make hustle plays, or give a teammate an assist that I bring her energy up, then we all feel good about each other.” colebambini@gmail.com @colebambini team. In four seasons, Syracuse has qualified for the national championship in two of three years — 2020 was canceled due to COVID-19. The team had the best year in program history in 2021, finishing 10th in the NCAA Championships.

“Luke (McGee) wasn’t afraid to be very direct and open with us,” said Maddy Gordon, former Syracuse rower. “That really contributed to the way we were able to perform, because we had a coach who was committed to his own growth along with ours.”

Later, McGee attended Gordon’s commissioning ceremony, when a commissioning officer requests two influential leaders to pin their newly earned officer rank. Commissioning officers are allowed two people to pin their rank — she chose her dad and McGee.

“He agreed, and was deeply touched by my request,” Gordon said. “It illustrates how much he cared for us beyond just his athletes.”

McGee is constantly adapting at Syracuse, as it’s the first women’s team he has ever coached. When the 2020 season was canceled, McGee provided outlets for mental health professionals to his players.

In just five years, McGee has brought the team to the top of the conference, finishing second at last year’s ACC Championships. And as for the vision asked of the program going forward, McGee has one goal.

“National Champions. It has to be. It can’t be anything less than that,” McGee said. amstepan@syr.edu from page 10

Syracuse and Mercyhurst for second place in the College Hockey America standings before its first series of the season. After last season’s CHA Championship game that Syracuse won 3-2 last season, this series had huge implications for this year’s squad.

In the opening game, Syracuse and Mercyhurst were knotted at one goal apiece after the first period, but things went awry in the second. Following a quick penalty by Lauren Bellefontaine, Mercyhurst was given a power play that Sydney Pederson capitalized on for the Lakers.. It snowballed from there, as Mercyhurst won 6-1.

“We have shown we are a resilient group and can rebound,” Smith said after loss in a press from page 10

Florida State

target number, which will prove to be a matchup as FSU is led by Makayla Timpson with just under 10 boards per game.

How Syracuse beats Florida State Syracuse essentially needs a game resembling its win over North Carolina. The Orange controlled the game from midway through the first quarter to the final buzzer. It will take more than just Fair to beat FSU’s highly prolific offense, so it will need to rely on Georgia Woolley and Alaina Rice while Dariauna Lewis and Kyra Wood control the paint.

The Orange will need to control the pace, which will be hard to do against a Seminoles team that has the eighth-highest possessions per 40 minutes, per Her Hoop Stats. Syracuse enjoys playing fast, but it will need to control the tempo to its liking. Defensively, FSU still concedes a lot of points, ranking 241st in Division-I.

release. “We will be back at it tomorrow.”

The following day, Syracuse played Mercyhurst again, this time with a new mindset: put more emphasis on team culture. With the players refocused, Syracuse notched a much-needed conference point, tying the Lakers 1-1.

“The second game, there was a huge difference,” Tatum White said of the draw with Mercyhurst. . “You could really just see how much focus we were putting in our culture and all buying into the same thing. You could really see a difference because we were able to get a (CHA) point out of it.”

The #ichuSe meetings, where the team discusses how well they embodied the values, always take place on Tuesdays, but nothing else is structured. The length of the meeting, time of the meeting, topics discussed and who participates all constantly change.

Stat to know: 35.7% colebambini@gmail.com

Though Florida State concedes a fair amount of points, opponents shoot a 35.7% clip from the floor. Florida State will create low-percentage shots for Syracuse, which will need to use a blend of shots inside and on the perimeter to beat Florida State. If Syracuse struggles from deep, then Florida State and its 43.6% field-goal percentage will capitalize.

Player to watch: Ta’Niya Latson, guard, No. 00 Latson is the conference’s best shooter and has played in all 26 games for the Seminoles. Averaging 21.9 points per game, she shoots 46% from the field and 37.2% from deep. She is also reliable from the freethrow line, making over 86% of her free throws. The freshman has earned nine ACC Rookie of the Week Awards and was named to the Naismith Women’s Player of the Year midseason team.

@colebambini

“Our first debrief really stood out to me because I had never done it before being here,” said Bellefontaine, a fifth-year senior. “We never had culture meetings, so I think it was a huge step forward for this team and this program.”

In addition to the Tuesday meetings, there’s a commencement every Thursday honoring the player who was the best at embracing the team culture that week.

At Thursday meetings, the previous winner presents a hard hat to the new recipient. The hard hat is a pre-existing part of the program, but its meaning has evolved with the new coaching staff. At the top of the hard hat, all the numbers of the players who have been awarded the hat are displayed, which is something that “excites the players,” Smith said.

“When we are going through tough times, and when we’re not winning the games we want to win, (our team culture) holds us accountable and helps us bounce back faster than normal,” Bellefontaine said.

Serving as an assistant coach at Clarkson for eight years, which included back-to-back NCAA National Championships in 2017 and 2018, Smith attributed the Golden Knight’s culture as a key source for its success.

At Syracuse, Smith is looking to build something similar, but it’ll take more than just a year to build and evolve.

“Culture is something that you don’t build in one year and it stays the rest of your time,” Smith said. “It’s an ebb and flow… It’s a constant project. It’s a constant process for us, and something that we take a lot of pride in and that we get excited about.” justingirshon@gmail.com