Republican Senator Ted Cruz and Representative Andy Ogles have proposed a bill that would both require federal agencies (meaning those who work for the government or government-funded companies) to be referred to by their government name and the pronouns they were assigned at birth and remove any repercussions for deadnaming or calling a coworker by the wrong pronouns.
This bill is an incredible example of “rules for thee, not for me.” We often see this sort of thing in political spaces, such as the sheer amount of senators and lawmakers who encouraged wearing masks during the COVID epidemic, yet did not do so themselves. Ted Cruz’s full government name is Rafael Edward Cruz. This bill, if passed, would require him to start going as Rafael Cruz, not Ted. It’s rather clear that he goes by Ted Cruz to appear more familiar in an effort to help his influence, but trans people go by a different name and pronouns so they can feel affirmed.
Similarly, this bill is also a shining example of lawmakers focusing on the wrong thing to fight. After the second near-shutdown in a year in 2023, one would assume that lawmakers and government officials would start looking at bills for funding the government and working on creating safer schools and cities, but that is evidently not the case. The removal of human rights was already an issue that the UN addressed, and as most good advice goes, it is being ignored and even treated with an impudence that only rich cis het white men can muster. If this pattern of focusing on oppressing an already marginalized community doesn’t stop, 2024 is not looking good.
Thankfully, the bill is very unlikely to pass through the senate, as the majority is democratic, with 48 democrats, three independents, and 29 republicans. Regardless, the fact that Cruz and Ogles thought it pertinent to draft this bill in the first place is concerning.
