To the editor: Anti-trans rhetoric is dangerous and irresponsible

The U.S. has serious issues of economic struggle, hunger and climate-driven disasters. Yet if you look at conservative media, you think that the country is facing an existential threat from an army of transgender and non-binary individuals. Republican officials are pushing bills to deny trans rights and even criminalize someone for identifying as transgender.

So where did all the threatening transgender people suddenly come from? Less than six- tenths of 1 percent of Americans identify as transgender or non-binary. All of the transgender and non-binary people in the country represent a smaller population than that of Phoenix, Ariz. What about the threat of transgender athletes competing on sports teams that match their gender identity? The NCAA president told a Senate committee in December that 500,000 student-athletes compete in NCAA championship sports and fewer than 10 are transgender.

The “transgender threat” is just another arrow in the quiver of politicians who seek to cultivate anger and hatred as a distraction from real issues for which they have no solutions. History is sadly full of examples of leaders who vilify segments of the population and create an enemy through disinformation. The result is always the same – discrimination, anger, and violence. It is horrifying to see this play out in our country and even in our own communities.

The Chester GOP recently posted comments on its social media page about a demonstration at the State House by transgender advocates in response to so-called “Detrans Awareness Day,” promoting an absurdly bogus event sponsored by anti-LGBTQ+ Republicans and derided by healthcare and human rights experts as another attempt to discredit the journeys of transgender people who just want to live a genuine life.

The event highlighted the false trope that many transgender people regret transitioning and are seeking to “detransition” despite the extremely rare incidence of trans people seeking to halt or reverse their gender affirming care. In reality, gender affirming care dramatically reduces depression and the rate of suicide among transgender individuals.

The local GOP page followed that post with a meme suggesting that violently assaulting someone is the way to “solve their gender confusion.” The storm of anti-trans rhetoric, both nationally and locally, is incredibly dangerous and irresponsible. Transgender people are our friends, neighbors and family members. They deserve to be treated as such and not be disparaged, demeaned or threatened.

Robert Nied
Chester