OICES

BriannaFasoli

Accordingtothedateonthis issue of the Insider the year is 2023, a time in history full of scientific innovations and supposed progressive societal change; so how is it possible that our society still manages to be so unbelievably stuck in the past? How is it that so many people derive some twistedsenseofdutyinforcing others to live according to their rules? People claim to advocate for the protection of important rights such as the freedomofself-expressionand the freedom of speech for all, but that obviously doesn’t include protecting the voices ofthosewhoseopinionsdiffer fromtheirown Thehypocrisy of it all is absolutely disgusting, disgraceful and disheartening, even more so becausesomanyhavefought for so long and continue to fight to eliminate such corrosivemindsets

Today especially, being your true authentic self can be treated like some ailment that you must be cured of if you do not conform to society’s strict ideas People in the community are all too familiar with this sort of treatment, especially those who identify as Transgender. Recently there has been an astonishingfluxofanti-trans and all-around homophobic legislation circulating in the law-making chambers of our lovely neighbours across the border Across the USA, the governments of many states are introducing laws that serve to undermine the very existenceandqualityoflifeof trans individuals Some of these new bills target transgenderyouths’accessto genderaffirmingcare**,some even going so far as to consider doctors administeringthissortofcare tothoseunder18tobeguilty of a felony Others prohibit transgender and non-binary people from using any bathroomotherthanonethat fitstheirbiologicalsex Other bills make it harder for trans individuals to modify ID and official documentation to indicatetheirgenderidentity Furthermore, there are bills thatpreventtrans individuals from joining sports in teams that match their gender. Other bills limit how gender identity and sexuality can be taught in the classroom and ormakeitoptionaltolearn often for political purposes or to marginalize Jewish victimhood The only way to fightliesandmisinformation is by spreading truth Elie Wiesel's wise words correspond perfectly with this topic “Education is the key to preventing the cycle of violence and hatred that marred the 20th century from repeating itself in the 21st century” Let's help spread awareness and properly educate those misinformed. aboutthesesubjects Better yet, other bills force teacherstorefertostudents by their biological sex and deadname* (source: CNN and Them magazine) Even worse, some bills prevent schools from disciplining students for misgendering or deadnaming other classmates, effectively encouraging discrimination against trans youth (source: CTVNews).

Proponents of these bills claim that they are being proposed for the protection of children, when in fact theyachievenothingbutthe opposite They are not supported by science or actual factual truths but on the contrary, they are merely grounded in the closed-minded opinions of some of those who hold power It is a sad and wellknown truth that trans youtharemorelikelytotake their own lives than cisgender youth, and these bills certainly do not help the matter (source: CNN) They merely serve to further the decline of the trans community’smentalhealth In addition to the direct impact this mountain of hostile legislationwillhavewithinthe transgender community, this also provides encouragement and fuel for the circulation of transphobicviews

There is no question that limiting how subjects like sexuality and gender identity are taught in schools and providing parents with the option to opt their children out of these discussions, only further encourages ignorance and bigotry in the minds of future generations It is so important to expose children to diverse viewpoints and the experiencesofotherstoallow them to form their own opinions about the world, instead of forcing them to adheretotheirparents’views

I find it supremely ironic that critics of the 2SLGBTQIA+ claimthatthecommunityis