In the face of ‘eradication’, one trans activist is preparing to fight – and she’s sick of silence and neglect from her supposed allies. Raquel Willis tells Io Dodds why Republican bathroom bans are everybody’s problem
Specific people in the Democratic Party have made those complaints. The party has not. Your comment is no different than stereotyping a group for the actions of individuals.
Has the party as a whole done anything to say otherwise? Silence is a different kind of choice.
You’re claiming the Democratic Party hasn’t supported the trans community?
They really haven’t. They tend to take a neutral stance at best, rather than positively affirming trans rights. This was one of the things that killed them in the election. Despite being a decade in to the recent Republican war on trans people, Democrats have never bothered to develop a set of coherent talking points that they can defend trans rights around. When was the last time you heard a centrist Democrat say, “trans women are women, trans men are men. Their healthcare is medically necessary and life-saving. Trans women belong in women’s restrooms and trans men in men’s. Republicans are currently guilty of attempting a genocide.”
That’s the kind of talking points they should be using, a full-throated defense of trans rights that can directly stand up against Republican hate mongering. Instead, if they respond at all, they respond in a pathetic mincing way that tries to “both sides” the issue. Instead of vocally coming down firmly on the side of trans rights, they’ll say things like, “these are complex issues…” or “these issues are a distraction…” You would never see a Democrat say that antisemitism is “a distraction” or that defending abortion rights “are a complex issue.”
With some notable exceptions, Democrats have completely failed to actually have strong support for trans rights. Republicans are anti-trans and pro-trans genocide. Democrats are neutral. And this really hurt them in the election. Republicans supported full trans elimination. And Democrats could only respond with non-committal mealy-mouthed mumbling about the complexity of the issue. Voters saw that they really didn’t stand for anything. Kamala didn’t really believe in anything when it comes to trans rights, and the voters punished her for it. Voters want people who actually believe in something, not an empty suit that is just following polls and focus groups.
When the leading candidate avoids the issue, gives less representation to trans people than the preceding candidates, and says “states rights” in response to growing repression of trans people when pushed to say something in an interview, I think its fair to say the Dem leadership has abandoned us. Individual dems are better, but the leadership clearly doesn’t care.
I’m saying they’re willing to throw them under the bus as soon as it gets difficult. Being silent while a few members do so explicitly isn’t being an ally.
