The Progressive Betrayal of Trans Americans
Transgender Americans like me are trapped in a grim paradox. Our progressive champions may have introduced notions of “birthing persons” to corporate America, but they have done little to safeguard our fundamental right to bodily autonomy. As legislative threats from Republicans escalate, those same progressive champions stand to benefit, undeservedly, from a style of civil rights advocacy that unwittingly takes hostage a minority group that feels increasingly desperate for protection.
A Long History of Changing Bodies
In 1952, African Americans faced Jim Crow, doctors labeled same-sex attraction a mental disorder, and homosexuality was criminalized in nearly every state. Yet in that same year, a New York Daily News headline proudly heralded, “Ex-GI Becomes Blonde Beauty: Bronx Youth is a Happy Woman After 2 Years, 6 Operations.”
The blonde beauty was Christine Jorgensen, and much of the media coverage of her was surprisingly positive. A Chicago Daily Tribune article from the same year, “Parents Praise Bravery,” included quotes from Jorgensen’s father, who declared his daughter deserving of “an award higher than the Congressional Medal of Honor” for volunteering to undergo “guinea pig treatment.”
Jorgensen also faced intense scrutiny, but the criticism often lacked a coherent narrative. One article chided her apparent inability to distinguish between mink fur and nutria fur, while Time implied she might have transitioned for fame rather than a genuine femininity.
Seven decades later, a great deal of progress has been made. A 2022 Pew Research poll found that only 10 percent of Americans oppose protecting transgender people from discrimination—protections that have been enshrined in law by the highest court of the land. Operations like Jorgensen’s are no longer at the forefront of medical technology. With the rise of extreme body modification, they’re not even the most radical kind of personal presentation Americans might encounter.
In my hometown of Austin, Texas, Eric “Lizardman” Sprague proudly displays bright green skin, subdermal implants, and a forked tongue. The Guinness World Records publishes articles on people like Eric, and many Americans enjoy popular reality TV shows like “Botched,” which depict extreme cosmetic transformations.
One might think that in an era of unprecedented tolerance and body modification, transgender people would be the least of anyone’s concerns. But turn on the TV and you will find little discussion of the Lizardman or worries of a rhinoplasty craze sweeping our youth. Instead, the 2024 legislative session saw more than 500 anti-LGBT bills introduced nationwide, with a significant portion targeting transgender individuals.
Now, only a month into Donald Trump’s second presidency, a series of executive orders has made it clear the issue is one of Trump’s top priorities. How did we get here?
The Cost of Mandated Inclusivity
The society Christine transitioned in was one still reeling from the horrors of World War II. While Nazi officers stood trial at Nuremburg, the Allied powers faced a trial of their own: If the deeply held values of the old world had led to this, what use were those values?
The cool-headed rationalism promised by the League of Nations had failed. Nationalism marched with Germany into Poland and imperialism sailed with Japan into Nanjing. Even science could be regarded with suspicion. Once the providence of Western optimism and world fairs, it had bathed the empire of the rising sun in atomic hellfire and left hundreds of thousands of civilians dead in its wake.
What values could justify such destruction of the old world and the creation of the new? Americans found a powerful answer to that question in civil rights.
The same year Christine Jorgensen transitioned, a Superman poster illustrated this emerging idea of American duty: “To talk against someone because of his religion, race, or national origin is
UN-AMERICAN.” What makes Superman a hero and not a tyrant—what justifies his exertion of force—is this commitment. If such a poster were made today, the cartoonist would probably add sex, sexuality, and gender identity to that list of protected groups.
That’s a compelling message, made all the more compelling when Superman is thwarting the creation of a death ray.
But when legislators take on the responsibility of regulating discri
Article from Reason.com
The Reason Magazine website is a go-to destination for libertarians seeking cogent analysis, investigative reporting, and thought-provoking commentary. Championing the principles of individual freedom, limited government, and free markets, the site offers a diverse range of articles, videos, and podcasts that challenge conventional wisdom and advocate for libertarian solutions. Whether you’re interested in politics, culture, or technology, Reason provides a unique lens that prioritizes liberty and rational discourse. It’s an essential resource for those who value critical thinking and nuanced debate in the pursuit of a freer society.
