Former President Barack Obama has commented on how he is saddened by the recent attacks on the transgender community. These attacks come in the form of many states all over the country introducing bills that are mainly targeting transgender youth. Although some bills have failed, a few have passed into law. These bills raise concerns about how they will affect the suicide rates among the transgender community.
In an interview with The Advocate, Obama states, “These bills are doing real harm—especially to young people—whether they end up passing or not … I can’t imagine how difficult it is for young people to know that some leaders—including people who are supposed to be representing you—don’t think they deserve equal rights.” Obama feels that this is not the direction America should be heading and states that the country works better when everyone is included instead of being ostracized for being different. Obama says, “It breaks my heart,” in regard to the many bills appearing that put so many transgender individuals at risk.
These bills have mainly focused on excluding transgender athletes from participating in competitive sports, as well as denying transgender youth access to healthcare and gender-affirming care. Not only does the transgender community face a lot of violence inflicted by others, they also have some of the highest suicide rates within the LGBTQ community. These bills that have been introduced would isolate transgender individuals by denying them the opportunity to participate in sports.
There are also many concerns being raised about the access to healthcare for transgender individuals. For many trans kids, going through puberty can be a traumatic experience. To alleviate their dysphoria and prevent the trauma of going through puberty, many transgender youths are put on hormone blockers, which are completely reversible. These bills stopping hormone blockers, if passed, will be detrimental to the transgender community all across the nation. As the former president puts it: “We need to do even more to guarantee basic rights and protections for every American.”
