In the Absence of a Red Line, a Red Alert

Trans* politics are entering a dark new phase of Democratic failure in Washington.

For many transgender Americans, the inauguration of Donald Trump as President on January 20, 2025 is an event for which it is worth bracing for political impact. Attacks on trans* life, from healthcare access to basic dignity, are expected to swiftly intensify. Preparations such as passport renewals and prescription refills are in process, and uneasy anticipation is in the air.

However, the anticipation seems to have lapsed for some current Congressional Democrats. For these 81 members of the House of Representatives and 37 Senators, capitulation to an extremist right-wing assault on human rights is already under way. The betrayal comes in the form of a spate of “yes” votes on an extreme version of the National Defense Authorization Act that eliminates healthcare coverage for the transgender children of United States armed forces members.

If the NDAA is signed by the President, this will mark the first anti-LGBTQ+ bill to be entered into law at the federal level in more than 30 years. Such a dark mark on our nation’s history would be painful in any moment, but to have it come as an advance blow ahead of the onslaught expected under Trump would make for a particularly disgraceful outcome. And yet further, to have the same anti-LGBTQ+ bill pass with not-insignificant Democratic support? This is a total failure of our leaders to protect us.

Human rights cannot be up for debate. And when such debates do, perniciously, come to the floor of Congress at the hands of extremists, they must be forcefully shut down. The capacity for this kind of red line to be drawn already exists. Imagine if a bill came to the floor seeking to target the rights of federal employees based on whether or not they were Christian; every member of Congress with a conscience would vocally demand that the legislation be amended or rejected until the attack on fundamental rights was defeated. A core of Democratic lawmakers alongside their more reasonable Republican colleagues would surely succeed in preventing such a miscarriage of justice.

Trans* rights are not getting this red-line treatment. And that is cause for a political red alert.

Trans* rights are human rights; rights to healthcare, dignity, and safety are absolutely fundamental. Our leaders need to start acting like it, and our resistance to such fundamental attacks must be united and unwavering. If not, the Trump administration will be able to damage our lives and our communities even more gravely than we may have thought.

Call your representatives today and demand that they draw a red line on every future attack that comes for the fundamental human rights of transgender people. Find contact information here: https://www.usa.gov/elected-officials

And despite all this political darkness, remember that we will persevere. We will fight and we will win because trans* joy is inevitable. We will keep us safe. Sending you love and support if you need it.

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