Piece by David Heather Teeter (Edited by Tina Gill)
On March 31, we celebrate Trans Day of Visibility. This is a worldwide event to raise awareness of how far we have come and how much more we need to do. Recently, two states passed laws restricting trans-girls and young woman from participating in any sports that don’t align with the gender on their birth certificate. Two other states passed laws that deny a trans-person the ability to change their gender marker. These acts lead to violence and discrimination against that individual from domestic partners, casual acquaintances, or religious fanatics.
Other issues are laws and rules written accommodate religious beliefs but deny the same privilege to trans or non-binary (a spectrum of gender identities that are not exclusively masculine or feminine) people. In Pennsylvania, one such rule states an individual with one of 13 listed convictions cannot change their name except for religious reasons. It allows others to discriminate against a trans or non-binary person by their identification—such as passports or drivers’ licenses—whether intentional or not. |