We Need To Protect Transgender Rights

​Written by: Taylor Coriolan
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In the United States, every person’s rights should be upheld and protected. However, the current administration and several states have made it harder for transgender men and women to be able to have the right to be themselves. 


Several anti-trans bills have been passed that restrict and in some cases, criminalize transgender and nonbinary people from using restrooms. They also have banned transgender youth from fully participating in athletics at school and having access to healthcare. It has even gone farther as to allow religiously-motivated discrimination against them and prevent them from obtaining identification with the correct name and gender. 


If everyone is created equal and we are all granted the three unalienable rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, why are we taking those rights away from transgender people?


People don’t realize the effects of not giving people their rights and letting them be themselves freely with no judgement or stigma. All they want is to feel like their true selves. Being in the wrong body and experiencing discrimination has such a terrible impact on mental health. According to the Centre for Suicide Prevention, trans people are more at risk for suicide than heterosexual, lesbian, gay, and bisexual people. This is simply not okay. 


I believe all these laws and bills being passed come from people being uncomfortable with things they don’t understand. I think if they took the time to understand a trans person’s point of view on the matter and how much it would mean to them to have access to healthcare so they can transition or be able to use the bathroom assigned to their gender. Educate yourself and have some compassion.

​We are all human. Nothing will change that. We need to fight against the discriminatory laws and protect transgender men, women, and youth.