Trump and the “gender” issue

The first chapter opened in 2017 with the proposal to ban transgender people from entering the army. Chapter two is now being written, and could be titled: transgender people don’t exist .

The Donald Trump administration intends to consider a policy that puts an end to the recognition of millions of adults who define their gender in other ways than that identified on the birth certificate. Thus, he would actually like to take away from  transgender people  all the legal rights , and not only, acquired in the past during the Obama presidency. 

According to the Department of Health and Human Services, as reported by The New York Times ,  the administration is considering adopting a strict definition of gender, which would be limited to the immutable characteristics determined by the genitals at birth . 

If the proposal is approved , the departments of Education, Justice and Labor will have to adapt accordingly. Any question will be resolved, as this new reform would predict, by DNA testing.

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United States and transgender: identity crisis

While it is not yet clear how the policy intends to work, experts agree that there will be difficult changes in practice: from the type of medical treatment for transgender people, to the prison they will be assigned, to the bathrooms of the women. schools that they will be able to use .

For example, those friendly signals such as “all gender restroom” or “gender neutral”,  indications that welcomed all sorts of identities, will disappear.

Gender-discriminating signs and indications will appear, as has already happened. Here, for example, is an NbcNews video explaining what happened last year at a Pennsylvania school, where new signs and stickers have begun to appear on bathroom doors. 

The proposal, which in fact is still a draft, is definitely in stark contrast to what the previous Obama administration had done , which aimed to facilitate the legal aspect – and therefore life – of gender, with an anti-sexist and anti-discrimination attitude. 

As the Times reports, in the United States there is still a lot of ignorance about the transgender issue: in 2017 alone, more than 20 transgender people were killed in violent ways. About 32% of Americans think transgender people have mental problems.

Homophobia is therefore a thorny issue and more relevant than ever. 

Associations united for freedom

This step backwards has aroused discontent and outrage among many Americans, who feel deprived of their rights. Specifically, those approximately 1.4 million Americans who in the past saw themselves recognized as a “different gender” than the one they were born into. Even the American LGBT community argues and argues that Trump’s act does nothing but deny the nature and human rights of people. 

As Aclu – American Civil Liberties Union – one of the many pro-civil rights organizations, reports through the words of the director James Esseks (director of ACLU LGBT & HIV) ” Transgender people not only have the right to exist, but also to participate fully in the public life. Transgender people are not real and their lives matter . ” 

The movie to see: here is the trailer for the movie “About Ray”  which tells the story of a girl who does not feel “right” in her skin. Moving and essential, it touches closely the delicate subject of adolescents and sexuality . The film was released in Italy with the title “3 Generations – An almost perfect family”.