The Dangers of Politicizing Gender
As of the first week of April, 2022, there are over 25 anti-trans bills in state legislation. Many relate to participation in sports including collegiate sports. Others restrict medical procedures for minors to alter appearance of gender, or limit funds to schools if a student’s gender is not identified. One says an employee of a public school is not required to refer to a student using the student’s preferred pronoun if the pronoun does not align with student’s biological sex. Some even make it a crime and call it abuse to support your own gender expansive child.
On my last podcast, I interviewed Rhodes Perry, who has worked in transgender and non-binary advocacy for over twenty years in organizations like PFLAG and even at the White House. The Trevor Project, a group that supports transgender and nonbinary youth, survey found that 85% of trans and nonbinary youth reported that current debates have negatively affected their mental health.
Perry and I both see the impacts of this legislation in the daily lives of children and families. Having privilege can create a sense that court actions seem removed from your day to day life. When your child’s emotional and physical well-being are both connected to personal freedoms, and those freedoms can disappear unexpectedly with changing political tides, it’s a precarious way to live. I am not licensed and practicing in Texas or Florida. But I know countless people whose lives have changed, whose daily decisions are questioned, and many are considering moving. This is disruptive to families who are already trying to navigate some distinct stressors.
At the same time, beyond Florida and Texas there are countless families who still feel the impact of these decisions. Every single parent I know wants to make safe, advisable decisions for their children, across all spheres of life. And there are ripples when media covers the decisions by uninformed others to question the validity of transgender identities and seek to punish parents for supporting this validity. So, even families who are not in Texas and Florida are impacted by the continued culture and political wars about whether or not transgender identities are “real” and “should be allowed.” These moments in legislative history give family members, community members, and strangers in the street permission to judge and alienate kids and families for something about which they know very little.
Furthermore, when you look at Texas and Florida, as with many other anti-LGBTQ+ laws, there are conflicting messages in the bills. In Florida, proponents of what has been termed the “Don’t Say Gay” bill have argued that parents should be the ones deciding what and when their kids learn about LGBTQ+ topics. Yet in Texas, the bill suggests that the government needs to step in because parents cannot be trusted to make gender-affirming related decisions for their children. Ultimately, courts and politicians try various angles to convince others that LGBTQ+ identities should not be normalized and celebrated, even with the logic doesn’t make sense.
Decisions to transition socially and medically are made with careful thought, preparation and professional consultation. There are people trained for years and decades to support kids and families on these journeys. There are medical experts who understand, as much as they can, what is needed to provide informed consent. The American Medical Assocation, a decidedly conservative entity, has clearly stated that gender affirming care is legitimate and necessary and that medical providers are within their scope of practice to support youth and families on these journeys. Decisions about a child’s health and wellness should be left to their parents and the related informed qualified professionals.
So if you are on a gender expansive journey or are an ally, what can you do to help? First affirm those kids, teens, or adults that are gender expansive in your life. Next, be educated. Seek out a professional for your child and family. Go to groups like PFLAG and The Trevor Project for education and support. If you’re comfortable, talk about it with peers or write your legislator.
For more on how to help your child and what parents may be experiencing and feeling if you have a child on a gender journey, listen to my podcast with advocate. Rhodes Perry.
Be well,
Dr. Laura Anderson
Dr. Laura S. Anderson specializes in educating and supporting families, as well as clinicians who support transracial adoptive families, across the globe to overcome barriers, derive strength from their differences, and thrive. She is a dynamic advocate for multiracial families and a strong advocate for supporting "third culture" children and families who may need support with the stressors associated with living out of their countries of origin.
Contact Dr. Anderson here.
