Now that the GOP has lost its war against Homosexuals and "Gay Marriage", they have turned their sights directly onto us, the Transgender Community. If one looks carefully at the bills that have been passed which ban gender related treatment, we see an underlying hatred for things "Conservatives" don't understand, are fearful of, and want to rid the world of because of that fear.
I see homosexuality and being transgender as part of a greater intersex spectrum, something that happens when one part of a fetus's development (brain and body) does not happen according to typical gender lines. This is different from many people see intersex, as I include the wiring of the brain as part of the definition of intersex.
When people are not able to classify something into something they can understand and manage, their fears go out of control. Rationality is lost, as primeval instincts kick in. When people live under constant threat due to their inability to escape poverty, they turn to bombastic populist leaders. When people remember "the good old days" without seeing how bad they were for others, they want simple answers to complicated problems. We now see all of these issues and more in the people who support the radicals in today's GOP.
We are under attack. There are a large number of places in this country where I am afraid to travel as Marian because of being transgender. My rights to be treated with dignity and respect are being taken away by the likes of the governors of Florida and Texas, all for political gain. The people of their states (and other "Red States" as well) need scapegoats to punish for their misfortune. Even though I blend in well with cisgender women, I would not feel safe in entering a public washroom in these states. If I were to enter a place of public accommodation, I could be discriminated against without reason. And, if I were to deal with law enforcement authorities, I could be treated in a way that puts my life at risk. Is this right?
There is a culture war going on right now, and large swaths of the population who have retreated into political tribalism. There are large areas of this nation which are one party states. In the past, even the dominant party in these states could reasonably be expected to be voted out if it didn't do a good enough job for their states. This is not the case anymore. People such as Florida's governor are trying to ban the opposition political party for actions many of its leaders took over 160 years ago. This is not democracy in action. This is an authoritarian government in waiting that is trying to do this.
I'm not sure of what we can do next. Strangely enough, I would take (the lunatic) Marjorie Taylor Greene's suggestion that we have a Red and Blue State divorce, and run with it a little. I'd suggest something a little bit more dangerous to the Red States: a requirement that the US Federal Government spend no more than 5% more or less in every state than it collects in tax revenue. Since the Blue States contribute more to the government in tax revenues than they receive, this would be a net benefit to these states. We could also set a federal minimum level for social spending in every state as a requirement for new federal projects to be placed in the Red States. This would slow down the "Brain Drain" from Blue to Red states, caused by the poor education standards (as a whole) in those states.
In my opinion, what we're seeing are the things that happen when there is a great difference in living standards between the rich and poor in a society. Like the people of Brazil, America's people fell out of love with democracy and elected a bombastic and ineffective leader as it moved to the right, and then moved to the left as a backlash against the right. Until we can force government to do its job, people at the margins of society are at great risk, as we are the pawns in a larger game of power.
So what can we do to change things? As a species, we do not like rapid or radical change. Progress can only come slowly. In the case of politics, our leaders are in a continual battle to be reelected, so that they can gain power. Not solving problems is their best way to have things to rally against, and get votes. As the parties become more extreme, the more likely one will pick a minority group (Jews, Muslims, Homosexuals, Transgenders, Political Opponents, etc.) as demons to obliterate. But the question remains: How do we enact simple, long term changes to fix this? To me, the answer is amazingly simple - term limits for all politicians. Years ago, a friend told me that death gives meaning to life. Without death, we'd have no reason to finish anything. The same goes for elected leadership. If a leader knows that s/he has only a limited amount of time to achieve anything, they will focus on getting important things done. By that subtle change alone, there will be no need for scapegoats, as politicians would only be judged by what they supported, and not what they opposed.
Yes, I am proposing a subtle change to nudge the system in a way that benefits us. This prevents the opposition from labeling this in a derogatory fashion. And, if we were to "grandfather" all currently serving officeholders from these same term limits, we might get the support needed to make an important change in the system whose effect could be seen in a single generation.
What do you think?
