Letters to the Editor: Anti-trans bigotry sadly pays big political dividends for the GOP
To the editor: What’s with the incessant spouting of anti-trans sentiments on the right? (“Taking trans rights to the Supreme Court isn’t about politics,” Dec. 3)
First and foremost, transphobia resonates with the MAGA masses. This recalls how the GOP notoriously pandered to untold millions of mid-20th century racists.
After the Supreme Court’s 1954 Brown vs. Board of Education decision ordered the integration of public schools, conservatives strove to evade that mandate, notably by contriving private “segregation academies.” Thankfully, our schools and society eventually integrated to where racism no longer can be politically exploited (at least not overtly).
That enlightened turn has left Republicans relentlessly exploiting transphobia as its most powerful wedge issue. Never mind that transgender persons constitute a minute portion of our nation’s population.
As was apparent from the Trump campaign’s deplorable TV ads demonizing transgender persons, anti-trans bigotry reliably pays big political dividends.
Sandra Perez, Santa Maria
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To the editor: Danny Romero’s argument for trans rights is unconvincing.
Similar to how many Americans do not view abortion as healthcare, they also reject the notion that the permanent medical alteration of minors constitutes healthcare. The state of Tennessee has a compelling interest in protecting children from irreversible decisions.
Research indicates that a significant proportion of transgender children eventually outgrow their gender dysphoria. Decisions of this magnitude should be reserved for adulthood, when individuals can make informed choices for themselves.
Sam Chaidez, Mission Hills
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To the editor: Why don’t articles addressing trans issues ever include information about babies who are born “intersex”?
In approximately 1.3 births per 1,000, the baby’s sex cannot be readily determined by the person doing the delivery because the baby has visible traits of both sexes or the absence of some. It also stands to reason, given the complexity of the human body, that even more babies have less obvious but very real internal issues.
Over time, this adds up to a lot of people.
I wish everyone would understand that this is a complex issue, and the parents of trans teens just want them to reach adulthood, as the threat of suicide is very real in these young people.
Why do Republicans want the U.S. government present in exam rooms across the country? Our healthcare system is already not the greatest for a developed country, and conservatives seem hell-bent on making it even worse.
Educate yourselves and learn to feel some compassion for people who have to deal with serious issues.
Kathy W. Smith, Torrance
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To the editor: What prevents a man from entering a typical women’s restroom? Absolutely nothing. There is no lock on the door, nor is there a guard. A man can just walk right into a women’s room. (“Ohio governor signs bill limiting bathroom use by transgender students,” Nov. 27)
And what would he see? A row of cubicles. A row of sinks. Is this a convenient place for a pervert to carry out untoward actions?
Men do not walk into women’s restrooms. It doesn’t happen. It’s not logical. These are some of the reasons there is no lock and no guard on the women’s room door.
But if the right continues with its insistence that transgender people use the restroom of the gender assigned at birth, then you are going to have transgender males who look like, well, males in the women’s room.
Then you might have problems.
Denys Arcuri, Indio
