By Michelle Goldberg
It’s difficult to fathom the fear experienced by trans individuals and their parents in America today.
Donald Trump and his party, after winning an election where they vilified trans individuals, seem determined to exclude them from public life. Meanwhile, Democrats, some of whom feel the party has taken positions on trans issues that they can’t defend, are reeling and perplexed. Democratic leaders have been too silent while congressional Republicans, euphoric and vengeful after their victory, attempt to humiliate their new colleague, Rep.-elect Sarah McBride, D-Del., by prohibiting her and other trans individuals from utilizing proper single-sex restrooms in the Capitol.
I mention this as someone who has been labeled a TERF, a derogatory term meaning Trans-Exclusionary Radical Feminist, more times than I can count. For the past decade, I’ve sought to reconcile my belief in the rights of trans individuals with my skepticism toward certain trans activist perspectives. I’ve written with sympathy about feminists who face ostracism for wishing to preserve women-only spaces. I believe the science surrounding youth gender medicine remains unsettled, and I find terminology like “sex assigned at birth” perplexing as it obscures the reality of biological sex. (Except for rare cases, doctors don’t “assign” sex; they identify it.) While I care little about sports, denying the advantages that male puberty provides for trans women athletes feels disingenuous.
From time to time, I receive frustrated or desperate messages from trans individuals claiming that I am contributing to America sliding down a slope that has led us to an unfortunate reality where discrimination against trans individuals has become normalized to an extent that once seemed unimaginable. During Trump’s initial presidential campaign, he stated that his trans supporter Caitlyn Jenner could use any bathroom she wished in Trump Tower. At that time, North Carolina’s bathroom law, which prompted economically damaging boycotts, was widely viewed as a self-inflicted injury.
Fast forward eight years, and anti-trans rhetoric became a fundamental aspect of the Trump campaign; from Oct. 7 to Oct. 20, over 41% of pro-Trump advertisements pushed anti-trans narratives. Numerous states have now enacted laws limiting trans individuals’ access to single-sex restrooms. Faced with this barrage against a small and vulnerable population, there’s pressure on liberals to keep any concerns we might hold about certain elements of progressive gender ideology to ourselves.
This is partially why, despite my interest in sex and gender, I haven’t engaged in these debates as much as I might have otherwise. However, I’m increasingly convinced that this widespread reluctance hasn’t benefited anyone involved. The fundamental right of trans individuals to live with safety and dignity, free from discrimination, should be unquestionable. Yet, evolving concepts of sex and gender introduce new complexities and conflicts, and when progressives shy away from discussing them candidly, resorting to clichés like “trans women are women,” it can lead people to feel deceived and become radicalized.
Dissent from progressive views on gender can even transform into a lens through which individuals perceive the world; consider figures like Dave Chappelle or J.K. Rowling. As writer Sam Harris noted in an analysis following the election, “I know individuals who haven’t been personally affected by this issue, for whom it was the only matter that influenced their vote.”
While there are indeed some Americans who won’t be satisfied without total eradication of trans individuals from society, others merely feel that progressives are not being open with them, a perception that Democrats might have addressed more effectively with greater honesty.
In 2023, for instance, Joe Biden’s administration suggested a sensible rule that would prevent outright bans on trans girls and women in school sports, while allowing for exceptions to ensure fair competition and prevent injuries. “This more nuanced approach represented the first time the Biden administration acknowledged that sex differences can be significant in school sports, a point fiercely contested by top LGBTQ rights organizations,” Rachel Cohen reported in Vox. However, she highlighted that the administration, likely cautious of igniting tensions within the Democratic coalition, refrained from discussing the new policy. Instead, Kamala Harris remained largely silent amidst ongoing Republican assaults, as if wishing the matter would simply vanish.
From a political standpoint, nuance is more challenging to sell than certainty. Nonetheless, it’s more truthful, and truthfulness is imperative in the face of an impending flood of malicious MAGA propaganda. To withstand it, Democrats must accomplish two objectives simultaneously: they need to engage in some uncomfortable discussions about complex topics, while also defending a minuscule minority that’s increasingly under attack. After all, the harassment of McBride—who has dealt with Republican hostility with remarkable poise—is merely the initial strike in what is probably going to be an extensive national campaign against trans individuals.
Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., who is hungry for media exposure, is campaigning to extend the congressional bathroom ban to encompass all federal buildings, including museums and airports. (She’s promoting T-shirts that celebrate her campaign.) On Sunday, The Times of London reported that Trump plans to issue an executive order that would prohibit trans individuals from serving in the military and medically discharge those already enlisted, branding them unfit for service. (The transition team has denied this.) The new administration will likely attempt to eliminate Medicare and Medicaid coverage for trans individuals’ hormone therapy, leaving some without essential medications. At a moment when certain parents of trans children have relocated from red states to ensure access to vital medical care, the Trump administration wants to impose a nationwide ban on such treatments for minors.
There are ideological positions from which Democrats should retreat. However, they must also identify a resolute stance from which to advocate.
