Love, not Lies

We've got to talk about the legislative attacks on the trans community!

On this week’s pod we chatted with journalist and trans activist Erin Reed. You can find Erin’s Substack at Erin in the Morning. She is one of our favorite writers on Substack and provides essential information for anyone concerned about LGBTQ+ rights and equality.

 

Erin shared how anti-trans legislation is at an all-time high. As of our recording, there were 220 anti-trans bills already introduced in the U.S. That’s in just the first 15 days of the year! We thought 2023 was bad, but 2024 has already seen more than double the amount of bills introduced by this time in 2023. With the explosion of anti-trans legislation Erin created her Anti-Trans Legislation tracker. This is an amazing resource to track what is going on across the country. Erin’s research is frequently cited by national media. Organizations across the country, including our organization, Red Wine & Blue refer to this tracker all the time in our own research. 

Erin’s research also provides risk assessment for the trans community. Through her research she helps identify which states are more dangerous to live in or travel through as a trans person, and which areas are safe. Families with trans children rely on this research to make important decisions about whether they can safely stay in their state, or where their children can safely attend college. 

The explosion of anti-trans legislation makes us wonder - what is really going on here? Why is the GOP so focused on the trans community? First it was trans sports bans in kids sports, and now they are focused on banning gender affirming care. But why? Erin reminded us that the rage Republicans have against the trans community is nothing new - in fact it’s part of a long history of attacks against the LGBTQ+ community. We all remember the fight for marriage equality, but if you weren’t directly impacted by it, you might not realize how long the community was fighting for the right to marry. The right fought tooth and nail against this right and continue to look for ways to dismantle marriage equality. And before that, the LGBTQ community was attacked and othered during the outbreak of aids. 

Erin told us that if you look back at 1933, the first books burned by the Nazis were from the Institute of Sexology, an institute that pioneered research on gender and sexuality. The attacks on this community are nothing new, but they are increasing every year at an astonishing rate. So you might be asking yourself, what can I do? First, we highly recommend following Erin on Substack and social media. It’s important to know all of the ways the right is trying to control who we love, how we identify, and whether we can make our own healthcare decisions. 

And if you need a little joy this week, make sure you listen to the full podcast. We talk about how Erin and her fiance, Montana state rep Zooey Zephyr, have shared their engagement with the world. Their love is an important reminder of all of the joy within the trans community. You can also hear our hosts’ Toast to Joy.

 

So what is your Toast to Joy this week? Be sure to share in the comments. And don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss a post from us!

Happy Listening!

-your friends at The Suburban Women Problem