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E D I TO R I A L NOV. 15, 2018
EDITORIAL: LEGALIZING HATE After word circulated that the Trump administration may establish a strict legal definition of gender under Title IX, the WSS editorial board unanimously voted that there exists no credible basis for this act of delegitimizing transgender individuals.
T
he transgender community is under attack. The Trump administration announced on Oct. 21, 2018 that it is considering redefining the concept of “gender” as an unchanging identifier established at birth. These politicians have justified their actions by saying that the scientific sex one is born into holds more value in the ideas of the law than how one may perceive their own gender. The first major flaw regarding this decision is the lack of acknowledgment that sex and gender are two entirely different concepts. According to Stanford Medicine, “Sex is a biological trait that is determined by the specific sex chromosomes inherited from one’s parents.” Gender, on the other hand, is specified by the same source as “socially, culturally and personally defined.” Assuming these two labels are the same thing would not only be detrimental to the well-being of an entire demographic but would completely disregard scientific facts as well. The Trump administration has already made decisions that affect transgender students. On Feb. 18, 2018, the United States Department of Education announced that it would no longer listen to complaints from transgender students on the national level regarding exclusion based on gender identity, saying that Title IX exists to prohibit discrimination only on the basis of sex. The department, meant to make schools a safe environment for students to learn and apply themselves, is allowing open discrimination with no consequences. According to a study published in the journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics from October 2018, trans-male adolescents had the highest rate of attempted suicides, at 50.8 percent, which contrasts with that of male adolescents, at 9.8 percent. When half of all trans-male young adults are attempting suicide, does the Trump administration need to target them even more? The focus should be on lowering this rate rather than implementing policies that will have a detrimental effect on at-risk transgender stu-
dents. This potential action is not only discriminatory but is also transparent in showing what the Trump administration’s true intentions are for this “legal definition of gender”: to rid an entire demographic of people of the laws that protect them for no valid reason. It is now clearer than ever that President Trump is not holding to his promise to help the LGBTQ+ community during his time in office. Additionally, the government has no say in how people wish to label themselves. Whether one fits traditional gender labels or “radical gender ideology,” as the transgender community was called by Roger Severino, Director of
SHOULD A LEGAL DEFINITION FOR SEX BE ESTABLISHED UNDER TITLE IX?
0 26 THE WSS EDITORIAL BOARD VOTED AGAINST THE ESTABLISHMENT A LEGAL DEFINITION OF SEX
the Office for Civil Rights at the Department of Health and Human Services, in no way affects the politicians making these decisions. Frankly, assuming that the transgender community is simply an Obama-era fad delegimatizes this community to a point that is nothing short of repulsive. Everyone deserves equal protection under the law, regardless if others agree with their “lifestyle” or not. Furthermore, the proposed legislation of defining a restrictive legal definition of gender forces America to move backward in history. The national legalization of gay marriage has only been valid for three years following the landmark Obergefell v. Hodges Supreme Court decision. It has not even been half a decade before politicians are setting their sights on the LGBTQ+ community again with this policy redefining gender. This action would be a major hit to the rights of this community in general, which could pave the way for more roll backs of LGBTQ+ rights such as making same sex marriage invalid once again. Stripping away the rights of their constituents should not be the priority of America’s lawmakers. If someone identifies as a gender that does not match their sex, they should not have to be trapped in a body they are not comfortable in. This decision is just the first step in creating more laws that would require people to live by set descriptors. In this way, it would begin a process of legalizing discrimination against the
“ STRI PPI NG AWAY TH E RIGHTS OF TH E I R CON STITU E NTS SHOU LD NOT B E TH E PRIORITY OF AM E RICA’S LAWMAKE RS.”