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This is Trans News Tracker, a biweekly Autostraddle roundup and analysis of the biggest trans news stories.
Feels strange to start this by saying “Welcome back to Trans News Tracker,” but here we are. About a week ago, I expressed some weariness to a friend regarding how closely I’ve been paying attention to all of the highs and lows of what’s going on when it comes to our survival. They reminded me of something I often express:
We’ve always found a way to keep living and we’ll continue to.
I thought I’d share that with you all before we begin again here.
American Academy of Pediatrics Calls BS on Trump’s Bogus Trans Youth ‘Report’
The American Academy of Pediatrics is standing up to President Trump and Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.’s Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) scientifically inaccurate report on gender-affirming treatment for trans youth.
At the beginning of this month, the HHS put out a 400-page report — absent any authors’ or professionals’ names attached — explaining new “guidelines” for medical professionals who treat trans children called “Treatment for Pediatric Gender Dysphoria: Review of Evidence and Best Practices.” In the “report”, the HHS makes several unverified claims about the efficacy of trans healthcare, especially for trans youth, and orders medical professionals to ignore the guidelines put out by almost every major medical association in this country. Since then, independent journalist Erin Reed has comprehensively fact checked the claims made in the report and proved them entirely false per actual scientific evidence.
Susan J. Kressly and American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) — which, according to their website, represents “67,000 primary care pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists and pediatric surgical specialists dedicated to the health, safety and well-being of infants, children, adolescents and young adults” — immediately released a statement refuting the report. The statement states clearly that AAP nor any other reputable medical associations were consulted in the creation of the report. Crucially, the statement also says medical professionals in the AAP will keep administering gender-affirming care to their patients.
Kressly writes:
“This report misrepresents the current medical consensus and fails to reflect the realities of pediatric care. As we have seen with immunizations, bypassing medical expertise and scientific evidence has real consequences for the health of America’s children. AAP was not consulted in the development of this report, yet our policy and intentions behind our recommendations were cited throughout in inaccurate and misleading ways. The report prioritizes opinions over dispassionate reviews of evidence. Patients, their families, and their physicians—not politicians or government officials —should be the ones to make decisions together about what care is best for them based on evidence-based, age-appropriate care.”
In a moment where many organizations are leaving trans people, especially trans children, to the sadistic whims of this administration, this represents a sharp departure — one we’ll likely see developing further in the coming months — and an important reminder that organizations do not have to comply with anything this administration says or does.
Some Good News For Once
At the University of Texas at Austin, a day of drag and defiance. In response to a UT System Board of Regents ban on any of the universities in the UT system hosting drag performances, a group of students at UT Austin found a creative way to resist and build community at the same time. Students participating in the Day of Drag initiative showed up to class in drag, getting makeup done by drag performers on campus on their way to class. While this might not change anything immediately, the students there have reported that it helped build a broader organizing community that they plan to leverage in future actions.
The state of Maine continues to defeat the Trump administration in new ways in the battle over trans athletes. After Maine Governor Janet Mills stood up to the Trump administration’s orders that their school districts must comply with Trump’s executive order on trans youth in school athletics, the Trump administration responded by freezing U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) funds that contributed to school lunch funding in the state. The state sued the USDA and won their funds back. When Mills told Trump she’d “see him in court,” she truly meant it.
Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs vetoes anti-trans bills, chides GOP for attacking Arizonans. If you know anything about the complicated (and often convoluted) nature of Arizona politics, this is actually quite a historic and interesting win for both trans people in the state and the future of the state’s politics. I also appreciate how sick of everyone’s shit Gov. Hobbs seems in her response to the bills they expected her to sign into law.
Sam Nordquist to be added to the National LGBTQ Wall of Honor. I wrote about Sam’s life in February, and although it’s difficult for me to be thrilled about a “national” anything, even I can admit this news made me tear up quite a bit. Considering that people in power are trying their hardest to erase trans people from public life, I think it’s incredible he’s being memorialized this way.
An immersive play at Compton’s Cafeteria, where trans women rioted in 1966. As Nastia Voynovskaya points out in this review, “To younger generations, the ’60s may seem like ancient history. But it wasn’t very long ago that dressing in gender-nonconforming clothing or dancing with someone of the same sex were arrestable offenses. We’re lucky that some of the people who lived through it are still here to tell the tale. With trans rights under attack once again, these elders and their perspectives are precious. We can all learn from them.” I wish I was in San Francisco to see this.
News I Wish I Didn’t Have to Report
Trump DOJ erases trans people from crime data surveys. Not an entirely shocking development but, considering that violence against trans people keeps increasing, it is a startling reminder that we need to continue to organize more intentional communities and learn how to keep each other safe.
Two cis women kicked out of a Boston hotel bathroom after one was ordered to “prove” sex. Although this happened to cis women, this story is a good example of how trans panic is manifesting at every institutional level. The women involved have filed a discrimination complaint with the Massachusetts Attorney General, so it will be interesting to see what happens as a result of their legal pushback.
Texas House votes to strictly define man and woman, excluding trans people from state records. In Gov. Abbott and the Texas GOP’s never ending quest to one-up all the other anti-trans politicians in the country, they’re trying to make it so trans people in the state are forced to identify themselves on all legal documents with the gender they were assigned at birth. Another horrifying reality for trans people in the state, but as the article discusses, trans people and their allies are already rallying to try to prevent this from happening.
Republicans seek more state laws on transgender people, putting Democrats on the spot. Most Democrats are doing absolutely nothing to ensure trans people aren’t continually persecuted by this administration — or they’re in support of these highly oppressive new measures. A reminder that even though people want to believe so badly that Democrats are well-meaning, they are just another arm of fascist control.
Transgender issues are a strength for Trump, AP-NORC poll finds. Despite his wildly low approval ratings on almost everything else, it appears that according to an Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll, four out of 10 Americans think Trump’s administration is handling trans issues “well.” We, uh, have a hell of a lot of work to do here.
News I Have to Include Even Though I’m Against the U.S. Military-Industrial Complex as a Whole
US to begin immediate removal of up to 1,000 trans military members. According to a directive ordered last week, “The Pentagon is removing the 1,000 members of the military who openly identify as trans, and giving those who have yet to openly identify as transgender 30 days to remove themselves.”
Last Bits
We published some wonderfully written and reported pieces on trans inclusion in sports and the horrors and difficulties of being a trans person traveling out of and into the U.S. last week.
Cole Escola is nominated for a Tony Award for their role in Oh, Mary!. They deserve this, and I love how I couldn’t help hearing their voice in my head as I read this brief interview.
Wrestling with his gender identity, a former Marine finds himself and works to empower trans youth. As noted above, my relationship with the U.S. military-industrial complex and the people who are/were part of it is complicated, but I appreciated this story and the spotlight it puts on Harbor Camps, a sleepaway camp for trans and nonbinary youth.
‘Trans history gives me the confidence to change the world today.’ A quick read on something I’m always harping about on this website: the importance of studying trans and queers history.
Liev Schreiber opens up for first time about trans daughter Kai: ‘It’s important that she goes, “I am trans, look at me.”’ Another celebrity that parents of a certain age range (50 to 75) love a lot coming out in support of his trans child in a big way. Let’s keep this rolling.
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