Breathe
By Sofía Guadarrama Collado
During the 2024 U.S. presidential campaign, the image of U.S. Deputy Secretary of Health Raquel Leland Levine was viciously exposed nationally. Her sin, according to Donald Trump, was her gender identity.
Raquel Levine was the highest-ranking openly transgender woman in the U.S. government, of course, during the Biden administration, which also appointed Karine Jean-Pierre, who has come out as openly gay, as White House spokesperson.
In 2020, Sarah McBride was elected senator for the state of Delaware, making her the first trans person elected senator.
In 2011, U.S. attorney Victoria Kolakowski became the first openly transgender judge in the United States.
In 2008, Amanda Renae Simpson was elected Arizona's delegate to the Democratic National Convention. In 2009, she received an appointment from the Obama administration as a senior technical advisor to the Bureau of Industry and Security. She was the first transgender person to lead a U.S. Department of Defense organization.
In 2009, during the Barack Obama administration, Dylan Orr became the first trans man to be hired for a position in a U.S. presidential administration, as a special assistant in the Office of Disability Employment Policy.
In 2008, Stu Rasmussen became the nation's first openly transgender mayor (of Silverton, Oregon).
In 2017, Phillipe M. Cunningham became the first transgender man of color to be elected alderman for Minneapolis Ward 4.
Until before the start of Donald Trump's second term, there were 77 transgender, non-binary, intersex and gender nonconforming people holding public office in the United States.
Barack Obama implemented several measures in favor of the transgender community in the United States, such as:
- Prohibition of discrimination based on gender identity by health care providers and insurance companies.
- The implementation of federal guidelines that facilitated access to public restrooms for transgender students.
- The promotion of human rights of the LGBTTTIQ+ community on the international agenda.
- The appointment of openly gay ambassadors and representatives to promote the rights of the LGBTTTIQ+ community abroad.
The Joe Biden administration restored, maintained and implemented the same measures to support the transgender community in the United States:
- Protection in access to health care.
- Support for LGBTTTIQ+ youth.
- Programs to help youth with mental health problems and homeless people.
- Promotion of human rights.
- Combat criminalization of LGBTTTIQ+ status or behaviors.
- Protection for LGBTTTIQ+ refugees and asylum seekers.
- Recognition of gender identities.
- Protection against discrimination in employment.
All of that will disappear with Donald Trump's administration. In fact, from the second day of the administration, Elon Musk, in his role within the newly created Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), eliminated the Diversity Directorate, thereby repealing protections for transgender people and ending diversity, equity and inclusion programs within the federal government.
As Trump threatened in his inauguration, he will only recognize two genders: male and female. This poses serious threats to the LGBTTTIQ+ community. The lack of diversity programs will generate serious physical and mental health problems. It will increase marginalization, discrimination, harassment in schools, workplaces and public places, hate crimes and suicides within the trans community.
According to data from TGEU (Transgender Europe), 320 murders of trans people were reported worldwide between 2022 and 2023. Unfortunately, most murders of trans people around the world go unreported or underreported. For example, in Mexico, murders of trans people are often recorded as "man dressed as a woman was murdered." The number of transgender people who commit suicide is also unknown.
In the last year, in the United States, 36 homicides were registered as hate crimes against transgender people. In Mexico, 51. The suicide rate of transgender people is 3.5 times higher than the general population.
The trans community in the United States is in grave danger. In cases like this, democracy is a curse because minorities are nothing. We are worthless to the majorities.
The opinions expressed are the responsibility of the authors and are absolutely independent of the position and editorial line of the company. Opinion 51.
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