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Trans identities fighting for the law
Who gets to decide who is normal and who is subversive under the law is a matter that has long vexed rights groups. On the one hand minorities have always been at the mercy of the majority, and as trans folk in the US and the UK have found to their horror over the last five years when allies melt away all that is left is lukewarm residue in their wake. For identity to have meaning beyond riots, demonstrations, and marches takes the whole community to come together, not just the isolated few to coalesce around a few Molotovs. To be trans has always to have your back to the wall, and no matter the tolerance, when the societal chips are down gender variance and non-normative identities have often been the first to suffer. This is why it is paramount that any attempts at trans emancipation are more than the ink on legislation, they are enforced by the courts and rooted in society at large.
It is easy for me to point to case law and legislation showing both trans emancipation and abuse against the trans community. It is almost impossible to show a society where harassment and abuse are absent, almost as if the undertow is always there to drag trans bodies back down again. It is telling that trans voices are excluded from mainstream discourse, labelled trans rights activists almost as if being subversive gives indigestion to the morning coffee. It is not enough to fight for your right…
