Smashing fascists and backing trans rights

The recent UK and French elections were a highlight in an otherwise darkening picture for trans and broader LGBTQI+ rights globally. Following Indiana Jone’s example smashing fascists is always a good habit to get into, as is putting them under the brightest light possible as truth scours away their insidious lies. One of my personal rules is life is to never vote for conservatives and to call out fascistic ill behaviour where I see it, and for the first time in twenty years I feel like the UK is finally getting this message. Resisting the allure of the right’s easy answers to complex societal problems takes a certain form of courage, especially when the media and social media bombards you both with the problems and the easy solutions to those problems. Smashing fascism in its cradle, and backing minority rights, is everyone’s business, not just those who are immediately impacted by it.

I rarely stay up for elections, waking up the next morning to see whether my hopes have been assured or dashed for the next X number of years. However, for the UK election I stayed up all night seeing far right MP after far-right MP losing their seat to progressive voices watching the right wither on the vine. Ironically it was a populist right-wing surge that defenestrated the Tories in the UK, the infighting so often present on the left tearing the fascists apart from the inside. France appears to gone down a different route, offering a viable leftwing alternative to the far-right, with French voters buying into explicit socialist values.

Of course this is early days for both countries, where the hope given at the ballot box needs to be transformed into practical solutions to those complex social problems. Minority rights are low down the list of priorities, yet housing, transport, tax, benefits, immigration, schools, hospitals, even the military touch directly on minority lives. This means that any changes to the law and civil service guidelines will impact minorities, with trans rights in both countries at the mercy of those seeking changes to the way the State is run. Healthcare and housing are two hot button issues that have impacted trans people in the UK, especially the dire state of access to publicly funded treatment for gender dysphoria. How both new governments tackle this will be a clear demonstration of their respect for their…