SPEAK OUT

WOULD YOU DATE OR BE FRIENDS WITH SOMEONE WITH OPPOSITE POLITICAL BELIEFS?

“Yes, I would do that. I would look for personality more than their opinions on political issues.”

In the wake of the Nashville shooting, policymakers have been pushing out bills to target the transgender community instead of prioritizing gun control.

“At this age, political things shouldn’t change a relationship. Yes, I would because politics isn’t even my thing.”

Legislate the guns, not the people

On April 4 and 5th a ban on gender-affirming healthcare became law in Indiana and Idaho, following the Nashville school shooting where a transgender individual shot and killed three children and three adults.

and secondary schools. According to Gun Violence Archive, the Nashville shooting was the 130th mass shooting of the year, which means they occur 1.5 times per day.

“I would say yes because people are allowed to have different opinions, and I don’t think I would let it impact our relationship.”

The Indiana law, effective July 1, requires children currently taking medications to transition gender to stop doing so by the end of the year. And the Idaho law, which will go into effect next January, makes it a felony to administer gender-affirming care to minors.

They aren’t alone, as other states follow suit.

About a month ago, the MO Senate advanced a pair of bills to prohibit gender-transitioning health care treatment for minors and restrict them from competing in sports.

“I think I could be friends with them, but I could not date them because we would be too different. But as friends it is good to have differences like that.”

Editorial

In fact, during 2017 and 2021, guns were the most frequently used weapon in the murder of trans people. Yet here we are taking away the rights of individuals who need it the most. Anti-trans legislation with weak gun laws fuels the already existing transgender hate crimes.

Board

The current crisis is not the presence of transgender individuals, but the guns that kill innocent civilians everyday and the laws that target transgender citizens we are supposed to protect.

While transgender people are rarely the perpetrators of shootings (which are overwhelmingly carried out by cisgender, white men), taking away transgender rights has soared to the top of the policy priority list.

We should be focusing on gun control.

In 2023, there have been 90 incidents at primary

“Yes, I believe that people can have different beliefs and still maintain good friendships. There are some beliefs that would be deal breakers — I don’t think I could be friends with someone who is racist or sexist.”

State congresses are wasting their time and effort on discriminatory laws focused on a group of people who are rarely the perpetrators and are painting over the massive issue of gun control. Legislation is often said to take years, but these anti-trans bills took less than a week to enact.

The U.S. was built on the social contract theory, an agreement for society to abide by the moral rules of behavior, so we as citizens have the responsibility to protest against hate-crime infused laws.

It’s essential to contact senators, Josh Hawley and Eric Schmitt to veto these laws, educate yourselves about the struggles within the trans community, and most importantly, use your voice and platform to amplify the voices of others.

Interested in voicing your opinion in the paper? Submit a Letter to the Editor through the website linked in the QR code or email mhsnews@gmail.com