Something remarkable happened this week. It was a moment of reason and empathy in a world that sometimes seems devoid of those things. It was a moment when science won. Where data won. Where love won. Where parents won. Where bigotry lost. Most of all, the moment saw transgender kids treated as human beings.
This moment occurred Friday in Ohio when Republican Gov. Mike DeWine struck down legislation that would have banned trans girls from female sports and restricted medical care of trans minors. House Bill 68 would have stopped physicians from prescribing puberty blockers, hormones, or gender reassignment surgery before patients turn 18. The bill would also have stopped trans girls and women from playing on female sports teams in high school and college.
"Were I to sign House Bill 68, or were House Bill 68 to become law," DeWine said, "Ohio would be saying that the state, that the government knows better what is medically best for a child than the two people who love that child the most: their parents."
That is a piece of empathy and common sense that's often lacking from many aspects of our public discourse.
It's true that lawmakers could potentially override DeWine's veto but this is still a remarkable moment. A Republican governor went against his party and did the right thing.
DeWine did a simple thing. Or rather what should be simple. He saw trans kids as people. Some of you reading this, unaware of what it's like for the trans community, will say why wouldn't they be treated with decency and respect? I don't think people fully understand, or forgot, or ever knew, what the situation is truly like for the trans community. There's been a years-long battle between those who want to destroy the trans community and those who fight for it. Quite simply, there's a persistent effort to wipe that community off the face of the Earth.
Think it's an exaggeration to say that people want the trans community gone? Look around. There are hundreds of bills across dozens of states that target trans Americans. Many of the attacks all have the same horrid schematics: restrictions on gender-affirming care and attempts to stop trans athletes from competing on single-sex sports teams. Most of the sports-related efforts aim to prevent trans girls from competing in female sports.
The American Civil Liberties Union, as noted by ABC News, said it recorded at least 508 anti-trans bills in 2023, with the ACLU stating 84 of those bills were passed into law. The massive amount of legislation has been accompanied by an increase of violent threats against the LGBTQ community, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
The good news is there's been pushback against some of the legislation. "We've also witnessed incredible moments of strength in states and communities across the country who have made sure this political assault does not go unnoticed," said Gillian Branstetter, Communications Strategist at the ACLU, in a statement to ABC News, "or is made any easier for politicians opposed to our very existence."
"For transgender people and our families across the country, 2023 was a devastating year of attacks on our safety, our dignity, and our freedom," Branstetter said. "The spreading bans and restrictions on our health care are an especially acute threat to our liberty and well-being, one we only expect to grow more dangerous in the next year."
DeWine is one of those people who is fighting against that assault. This isn't to portray DeWine as a hero. The real heroes are the members of the trans community who fight bigotry every day. What DeWine is, however, is a small piece of hope. Even a small piece of hope can be luminous.
There's one part of what DeWine did that might be the most important part of this story. He actually took the time to study the issue. He visited children's hospitals and spoke to families who were against the legislation.
In other words, what DeWine did was see trans kids as human beings. It was that simple.
So, yes, something remarkable happened this week. We saw common sense and empathy win. We saw bigotry lose. These are good things.
I'll take all the hope I can get.
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