Pro Tips for Trans* Survival in Trying Times
Here, in the Puget Sound bubble, it is easy to lose focus of what we are fighting against and fighting for; sometimes the bad stuff sort of feels like it is happening out there, and that in our blue bubble, we are untouchable. But this isn’t true. Backslides set a precedent for more backslides. It is important to stay vigilant, to offer what you can to people who are not privileged to live in blue areas, and to know how to protect yourself.
Trans* Talk: Bathroom Bills
I began following a case titled Doe v. State of South Carolina, in which an anonymous transgender teenager (referred to only as John Doe) is challenging South Carolina’s state law which prohibits students of the opposite sex to enter changing rooms, restrooms, and other private facilities of one sex. This law, South Carolina’s Proviso 1.120, affects all students in public Pre-K through high schools, denying Trans* students the right to use the bathroom that corresponds to their identity. John Doe, who is entering 9th grade this year, has rallied the support of his family and the Alliance for Full Acceptance (AFFA), a local LGBTQ+ advocacy group.