Ten out of 510,000, or 0.0019%, is a minuscule number – yet if you listen to politicians, you might think there has been some sort of takeover.
Recently the president of the United States of America signed an executive order stating the White House will only recognize two genders and that gender is finalized during conception. The exact wording can be found in section two, paragraphs d and e of Trump’s order. It’s an odd word choice considering we are taught in grade school that all humans are female at conception, so how can individuals be men if they aren’t at conception?
It’s clear this order is meant to dehumanize and attack the transgender people in our communities. This is a group of people that already face discrimination, public scrutiny and are disproportionately victims of hate crimes. Lately it seems that the discussion around the gender identity of Americans has taken over public discourse, so how many transgender people actually live in the United States?
In a survey conducted by YouGov.com that was taken by over 2,000 Americans, 21% of the population is transgender. In reality that number is around 0.6% according to the U.S. Census Bureau; this survey illustrates that Americans overestimate the size of minority groups. This same group believes Native Americans make up 27% of the population; in actuality they account for 1%. They believe 41% of the population is Black Americans when it’s really 12%, and they believe 20% of Americans make over a million dollars a year, when that number is closer to 0%.
It’s clear that Americans are unaware of who occupies the United States, and throughout the course of history, many “leaders” have used a lack of awareness to their advantage. These “leaders” are often able to manipulate the public to support dangerous and downright evil ideals because of the fear of the unknown.
Under the current administration, one of these ideals is the removal of transgender people. It begins with sports, specifically at the collegiate level. Thanks to generations of corruption, massive favors and deep-rooted socioeconomic connections, whoever is the president has a major influence over the National Collegiate Athletic Association. This power dynamic has led to immediate changes made to NCAA rules and regulations and thus a total ban of transgender women from NCAA athletics.
This ban is following a Senate hearing where former Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker testified that there were less than 10 transgender athletes among the 510,000 athletes that make up the NCAA. This ban will affect less than 10 people, yet the sitting president decided that it was important enough to be one of the eight executive orders signed in the first few hours after assuming the office. Why? Hate.
This hate is deeply rooted in a long-standing belief that anyone that is different from us is dangerous. Of course, it’s much more complicated than that, and we hate for many different and sometimes justified reasons. In the realm of sport, part of this hate seems to come from the idea that there are men simply pretending to be transgender in order to gain a competitive advantage. Yet, despite the heightened awareness around this faux scenario, there is no evidence that this has ever happened. What has happened and is based in reality is some transgender women have undergone gender-affirming surgery, are committing themselves to something that they truly believe in. This is a documented process that is difficult, both physically and emotionally, meant to allow people to live the life they deserve.
While some effort has been made to figure out if this gender affirming makes a difference in those who compete, it’s likely that we won’t have the full results of these studies for another two decades. In the meantime, actions like this only justify the disgusting actions taken against members of our community. Actions like the heinous torture and murder of Sam Nordquist will only become more common under an administration that aims to eradicate people who are trying to live their lives the way they deserve to.
Someone who supports LGBTQ+ rights might still defend the president’s actions, claiming that they’re meant to protect women’s sports. However, it’s clear that this persecution won’t end in the realm of sports. Currently transgender people are unable to renew their passports unless they label themselves as their “assigned gender at birth.” If you believe these laws, which restrict one’s rights, will end here, I suggest that you’re naive.
Transgender rights are human rights; we are all people, and people deserve to be loved.
