Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut gave a poignant, haunting address on the Senate floor on April 7, 2022. In about 15 minutes, Murphy walks his peers through the barriers and oppressions trans people, including trans youth, face every day, including how that can impact mental health. Murphy described, for example, the letter a parent received from their child, who died by suicide because they felt they could not live their life as a “lie” as a boy instead of the girl they know they “could become.” They said they lost faith in the world and could not see a “way out” of living in the “wrong body.”
This young person’s story is not in isolation, either. LGBTQ+ people, and especially trans people, live with higher rates of mental health issues, including depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation. More than 40% of LGBTQ+ youth reported experiencing suicidal ideation in 2021, for example, with more than half of trans youth considering suicide, according to The Trevor Project.
This is a public health crisis in itself, but given all the anti-trans legislation Republicans have been pushing, the situation is only getting more worrisome. Conservatives are happy to tell already vulnerable youth they can’t play sports, access safe, age-appropriate health care, or use the bathroom like everyone else… And don’t seem to care at all what impact this could have on one’s mental health. It’s sick.
Murphy seamlessly transitioned into calling out Trump and his allies for bullying and isolating trans and non-binary youth and advancing more than 150 anti-trans bills in the last year. He also discussed Alabama’s heinous anti-queer bill that bans safe, age-appropriate gender-affirming health care for trans youth, including a felony ban on puberty blockers and hormonal therapy for people under the age of 19. Physicians prescribing such care could face up to 10 years in prison.
[…]
Murphy also pointed out that saving women’s sports is not the reason conservatives are rallying against trans girls in sports. The real reason? Hate. He argued he could ask rooms full of people if their cis child has lost to a trans girl and feels confident no one would raise their hand, which is likely the case. (Though trans youth winning is also fair because everyone loses and everyone wins, sometimes!)
“Imagine how small and weak a person must be to have all that power… And use it to bully children,” he added in reference to people like Donald Trump, Marjorie Taylor Greene, and others who spew their views and rhetoric.
Sen. Chris Murphy (D)’s speech on the Senate floor this week about how trans people are facing oppression and bullying they face from not only family members who don’t support their trans children, but also right-wing media outlets such as Fox, Newsmax, LifeSiteNews, and Breitbart, and conservative anti-trans politicians such as Donald Trump, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Ken Paxton, and Ron DeSantis is a must-watch.
Murphy laid the facts about how anti-trans policies such as banning access to the following harm trans kids: gender-affirming health care, access to sports teams consistent with their gender identity, and usage of restrooms and other facilities consistent with their gender identity. He rightfully said that trans “kids threaten no one.”
This blog is mostly so I can vent my feelings and share my interests. Other than that, I am nothing special.
If you don't like Left Wing political thought and philosophy, all things related to horror, the supernatural, the grotesque, guns or the strange, then get the fuck out. I just warned you.
