To those that will listen,
You may have noticed the ongoing hysteria over the transgender community, religious freedoms and restrooms. We see the boycotts of states and businesses. We have a media which propagates these issues as our political parties use them to divide us and force us to take sides. We have organizations who try to advance their agendas by spreading lies and inducing fear. We see countless people going back and forth on social media, trading hurtful comments and insults. So before we take the inevitable step of dividing ourselves further or even killing each other, let me make a few things clear about your fellow transgender citizens.
“Transgender people have been around since the beginning of humanity.”
Transgender people have been around since the beginning of humanity. Though it seems with all the recent media coverage that there is an explosion of new people becoming transgender, I assure you, there are just as many of us as there has always been. Aside from being transgender, we are no different than anyone else. We are Christians, Jews, Muslims and Atheists. We are Democrats, Republicans and Independents. We are just as diverse in the spectrum of ethnicity as everyone else. We deal with the same prejudices and privileges as the rest of society. We are poor, rich and middle class. Many of us have fought for our country and the very rights that we often debate about. We exist all over the world, in every society and every culture.
Though we face the same harsh realities as the rest of humanity, our journey is much tougher because of the way we are viewed. The further down the ladder of economic diversity you go, the harder it gets. Many transgender people are unable to find employment, housing or access to healthcare. Many are shunned by their families and lose their jobs. They don’t have the same opportunities as everyone else. It is all because of one simple fact, they are transgender.
In the media today we see an ongoing debate about restrooms. We hear fear mongering, telling us that predators are going to claim they are transgender and attack our daughters. We spend countless tax dollars that allow politicians to debate and either pass or veto laws that have no substance and cannot be enforced. I have news for you. We have been using the bathrooms that correlate with our gender identity since bathrooms have existed. If you are reading this I can promise you that you have already shared a restroom with a transgender person. You most likely didn’t even notice.
“I too would not want a predator in the bathroom with my daughters.”
The point is that until now there have been no instances of any transgender person ever attacking anyone in a bathroom. By introducing these laws we invite the very violence that we are so desperately trying to prevent. I am human just like the rest of you. I too would not want a predator in the bathroom with my daughters. But it is already against the law to attack anyone in a restroom. You don’t need to claim your are transgender to do so. Since bathrooms have existed, any man could have dressed up as a woman and perpetrated such an attack.
So I need to ask, how do you propose we enforce these laws? Are we going to put a guard and body scanners at every restroom door? Talk about violating your rights. The answer is it cannot be enforced and that is why such bills are a complete waste of time. All they do is create more issues. They do not solve them. This is why nothing ever gets done. Our law makers are busy passing bills and resolutions that are just for show. It is all just to motivate their base.
I am a wife and a parent. Like many people I have a home, a mortgage and car payments. I worry about my children’s future. I worry about their safety like anyone else would when it comes to their children. I worry about how to pay for their education. I also worry about what their future will be like. I am no different than you.
I am not naive enough to suggest there aren’t times when such issues need to be addressed. But the concerns need to be addressed from the perspective of how we can cooperate instead of how we can exclude. I am simply saying that we all need to coexist. We need to protect everyone’s right to be who they are, and yes we also need to protect everyone’s right to practice their beliefs. Let us just not create problems where there are none.
Stay safe and keep fighting for all of us!
Love and peace,
Mila Madison
