By Rhuaridh Marr on February 24, 2020 @rhuaridh
Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Elizabeth Warren has branded a proposed ban on transgender student athletes in Arizona “cruel.”
Warren responded on Twitter to Republican state Rep. Nancy Barto’s “Save Women’s Sports Act,” which last week was approved by an Arizona House committee and will be voted on over the coming weeks.
The bill, which applies to K-12 schools, community colleges, and state universities, would allow only those assigned female at birth to compete on female athletic teams.
If a person’s gender identity were called into question, that athlete would be required to obtain a doctor’s note proving they are female before being allowed to compete.
The bill would also allow cisgender female students who believe they’ve missed out on athletic opportunities because of transgender inclusion on a school team to file lawsuits seeking redress.
“Trans athletes are not a threat,” Warren tweeted. “We need to protect trans kids — and all LGBTQ+ kids — and ensure they feel safe and welcomed at school. I urge the Arizona legislature to reject this cruel bill.”
Trans athletes are not a threat. We need to protect trans kids—and all LGBTQ+ kids—and ensure they feel safe and welcomed at school. I urge the Arizona legislature to reject this cruel bill. https://t.co/9ALVjeIBiv
— Elizabeth Warren (@ewarren) February 20, 2020
Barto previously defended her bill by saying, “Science is what it is. The difference between males and females is obvious.”
Opponents of the bill, including Arizona Democrats, argue that the measure will effectively ban transgender females from participating in sports altogether, as they may not want to compete against cisgender males, and could be putting themselves at risk of abuse or harassment by teammates if they were to compete on male sports teams.
Arizona’s move follows other Republican-led initiatives to restrict transgender athletes from competing in sports in accordance with their gender identity.
Republicans in Georgia, Tennessee, and Washington state are pushing such bans for the 2020 legislative session.
Shannon Minter, legal director for the National Center for Lesbian Rights, told the Arizona Republic that there is “a reason these bills are popping up simultaneously.”
“There have been no problems with this issue in Arizona. This isn’t responding to an issue that students are having in Arizona. This is a national campaign to use this issue — sadly — to just polarize and divide people,” Minter said.
For Warren, it’s the latest example of support for the transgender community. Last week, she used nonbinary-inclusive terms in a tweet discussing a potential vice presidential pick, and the Massachusetts senator includes her preferred pronouns in her Twitter bio.
I want to tell you exactly the kind of vice president I want: Someone who will be in this fight alongside me for your families. Someone who feels this fight passionately—and who brings his, her, or their own energy to get it done. #CNNTownHall
— Elizabeth Warren (@ewarren) February 21, 2020
Warren has also repeatedly highlighted the epidemic of violence against transgender women — particularly trans women of color — in the United States, including reading out the names of women who have been killed and raising the issue of anti-trans violence during Democratic debates.
During a debate in December, Warren and Sen. Bernie Sanders were asked what they would do to “stop violence against transgender people.”
While Sanders pivoted to discussing Medicare for All, Warren pledged to “go to the Rose Garden once every year to read the names of transgender women, of people of color, who have been killed in the past year.”
“I will make sure that we read their names so that as a nation we are forced to address the particular vulnerability on homelessness,” Warren said. “I will change the rules now that put people in prison based on their birth sex identification rather than their current identification.”
She added: “I will do everything I can to make sure that we are an America that leaves no one behind.”
Like other candidates seeking the Democratic nomination, Warren has also committed to reverse Donald Trump’s ban on transgender people serving openly in the U.S. military, branding the ban “shameful” in a tweet last year.
Related:
WATCH: Elizabeth Warren shares beautiful message of acceptance with LGBTQ teen
Mike Bloomberg referred to transgender people as ‘it’ and ‘some guy in a dress’
Christian author says “abominable” Pete Buttigieg is “deserving of death”
Read more:
Pixar’s ‘Onward’ features openly lesbian character voiced by Lena Waithe
WATCH: Pete Buttigieg helps 9-year-old boy ‘tell the world I’m gay’
Michigan teacher bans daughter of lesbian mothers from discussing same-sex marriage
By John Riley on November 19, 2024 @JRileyMW
"This year, we had the death of Pauly Likens, who was 14, the youngest victim we've ever recorded," says Dr. Shoshana Goldberg. "We see many victims misgendered and deadening by authorities, and reporting what emerged this year is not surprising. What is unsurprising and heartbreaking is that we just see the same things happen. Even as while the numbers may change from year to year, the same trends continue to emerge."
Goldberg is the director of public education and research at the Human Rights Campaign Foundation, the educational arm of the nation's largest LGBTQ civil rights organization. Earlier today, one day before Transgender Day of Remembrance, which memorializes those trans people who have lost their lives to murder or suicide, the foundation released a report detailing the extent of violence directed against members of the transgender and gender-nonconforming communities in the United States.
By John Riley on November 12, 2024 @JRileyMW
The city council of Odessa, Texas, passed a "bathroom ban" that disallows transgender individuals from using restrooms in public buildings that don't match their assigned sex at birth.
The measure, approved by a 5-2 vote, expands a 1989 ordinance prohibiting individuals from entering restrooms of the opposite biological sex.
Under the updated ordinance, the city can seek fines of up to $500 against anyone violating the law. Those who enter facilities not designated for their assigned sex at birth will face misdemeanor trespassing charges, reported the Texas Tribune.
By Randy Shulman on November 18, 2024 @RandyShulman
A proud Cuban American transgender man, Rodrigo Heng-Lehtinen is the Executive Director of Advocates for Trans Equality (A4TE).
METRO WEEKLY: Tell me about your experience on election night. How did you feel as the night started and when did it sink in for you that things weren't going as hoped?
RODRIGO HENG-LEHTINEN: I was nervous going into election night, as so many of us were. We know how high the stakes were. We know that our freedoms were on the line. So I was anxious.
As the night went on and things started looking like the vote count was against us, I still was quite patient. I've worked on campaigns for a long time now and have learned a lot about how vote counting works. You have to keep in mind that every ballot has to be counted, it takes time, and mail-in ballots are often the last ones to be counted, and they tend to skew Democrat. So I was patient, patient, patient, anticipating. We’ve got to count every vote to actually see where this lands. But as the hours passed, of course, that did not turn out to be enough.
These are challenging times for news organizations. And yet it’s crucial we stay active and provide vital resources and information to both our local readers and the world. So won’t you please take a moment and consider supporting Metro Weekly with a membership? For as little as $5 a month, you can help ensure Metro Weekly magazine and MetroWeekly.com remain free, viable resources as we provide the best, most diverse, culturally-resonant LGBTQ coverage in both the D.C. region and around the world. Memberships come with exclusive perks and discounts, your own personal digital delivery of each week’s magazine (and an archive), access to our Member's Lounge when it launches this fall, and exclusive members-only items like Metro Weekly Membership Mugs and Tote Bags! Check out all our membership levels here and please join us today!
Washington's LGBTQ Magazine
Follow Us:
· Facebook
· Twitter
· Flipboard
· YouTube
· Instagram
· RSS News | RSS Scene
Copyright ©2024 Jansi LLC.
You must be logged in to post a comment.