07/05/2024
At the "First Event" conference, in Boston earlier this year, I chatted with an online acquaintance who had recently moved her family halfway across the country, to Connecticut, in an attempt to find a safe refuge for her trans daughter. They have learned that while there are not (yet) any overtly anti-trans laws in that state, the fear and ignorance that we all encounter is alive and well there too. Clearly, in the absence of laws and legal precedent protecting us, and especially vulnerable trans kids, there is no truly "safe haven". It is more important than ever that we do whatever we can, as ambassadors for our community, to educate people about the realities of gender identity. You don't have to be a sign-carrying activist to be an ambassador. All you have to do is be visible, as normal, decent human being. Yes, "normal". We may be unusual, but we are not the scary, "abnormal" threat that some quarters would have voters believe. Let's exemplify that truth at every opportunity.
Many advocates say state leaders could be doing more to protect LGBTQ+ students, but the debate among lawmakers is far from settled.