Houston, We Have a Problem
"No men in women's bathrooms."
Those five words animated a campaign based in fear and deception that used anti-trans rhetoric to take down an equal rights ordinance in Houston, Texas, which protected 15 classes of people from discrimination.
"No men in women's bathrooms."
Those five words animated a campaign based in fear and deception that used anti-trans rhetoric to take down an equal rights ordinance in Houston, Texas, which protected 15 classes of people from discrimination.
After this week's vote on Proposition 1, Houston's Equal Rights Ordinance (HERO) was repealed by the voters. The vote not only strips away protections for LGBT Houstonians, veterans, pregnant people, people of color (whom 53 percent of the discrimination claims impacted) and others, it also sends a very clear message to Houston and the country that when it comes to understanding and supporting transgender people, we have a long way to go.
Everyone loses in Houston, but the trans community, in particular, is reeling from months of vitriol that undermined the very core of their humanity.
The factually dishonest message that HERO would permit men to enter women's restrooms relied on a core belief that transgender women are not women. The opposition used fear about and misconception of transgender people to spin lies that the ordinance would make it legal for someone to claim to be transgender in order to enter a restroom and commit a crime -- something that has never actually happened in the 17 states and 200 cities that already have protections for trans people. To be clear, the repealed ordinance did not even mention the word "bathroom," let alone authorize violence. And when it comes to violence and harassment, trans people are far more likely to get harassed while trying to use the bathroom than anyone else.
All that HERO's repeal actually does with respect to bathrooms is force more men, trans men, into women's restrooms and place all transgender people in less safe and more precarious positions in all aspects of our lives.
Though Houston is the latest battleground for this anti-transgender crusade by opponents of LGBT equality, this story is by no means a new one. We see efforts to undermine and demean the humanity of transgender people, particularly transgender women, everywhere from the pages of the New York Times to the stage of presidential debates.
In a year that has witnessed an epidemic of anti-transgender murders, it should be no secret that the messages these campaigns advance directly create the climate in which transgender people -- mostly transgender women of color -- are murdered. Sending the message that transgender people are deceitful predators who deserve no rights or respect cultivates a sense that we are disposable, unlovable, and shameful. It is this narrative that leads to violence.
If we are looking for answers to the epidemic of violence against transgender women this year, we should start in Houston with the campaign that legitimized the lie that transgender people are less than human.
Despite this devastating loss and the many losses of life and legal protections we have seen this year, the community is full of strength and resilience. The story won't end here. Fighting the vicious and dishonest bathroom panic argument is key to winning equal rights across the board.
We have a serious problem. But we have long-shown that there are answers in investing in and mobilizing the most vulnerable and despised among us.
Let's invest in trans people, trans communities, and trans resistance. We are fabulous and transformative.
Urgent. It's never been this bad.
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission from the outset was simple. To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It’s never been this bad out there. And it’s never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed and doing some of its best and most important work, the threats we face are intensifying. Right now, with just four days to go in our Spring Campaign, we are not even halfway to our goal. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Can you make a gift right now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? There is no backup plan or rainy day fund. There is only you. —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
"No men in women's bathrooms."
Those five words animated a campaign based in fear and deception that used anti-trans rhetoric to take down an equal rights ordinance in Houston, Texas, which protected 15 classes of people from discrimination.
After this week's vote on Proposition 1, Houston's Equal Rights Ordinance (HERO) was repealed by the voters. The vote not only strips away protections for LGBT Houstonians, veterans, pregnant people, people of color (whom 53 percent of the discrimination claims impacted) and others, it also sends a very clear message to Houston and the country that when it comes to understanding and supporting transgender people, we have a long way to go.
Everyone loses in Houston, but the trans community, in particular, is reeling from months of vitriol that undermined the very core of their humanity.
The factually dishonest message that HERO would permit men to enter women's restrooms relied on a core belief that transgender women are not women. The opposition used fear about and misconception of transgender people to spin lies that the ordinance would make it legal for someone to claim to be transgender in order to enter a restroom and commit a crime -- something that has never actually happened in the 17 states and 200 cities that already have protections for trans people. To be clear, the repealed ordinance did not even mention the word "bathroom," let alone authorize violence. And when it comes to violence and harassment, trans people are far more likely to get harassed while trying to use the bathroom than anyone else.
All that HERO's repeal actually does with respect to bathrooms is force more men, trans men, into women's restrooms and place all transgender people in less safe and more precarious positions in all aspects of our lives.
Though Houston is the latest battleground for this anti-transgender crusade by opponents of LGBT equality, this story is by no means a new one. We see efforts to undermine and demean the humanity of transgender people, particularly transgender women, everywhere from the pages of the New York Times to the stage of presidential debates.
In a year that has witnessed an epidemic of anti-transgender murders, it should be no secret that the messages these campaigns advance directly create the climate in which transgender people -- mostly transgender women of color -- are murdered. Sending the message that transgender people are deceitful predators who deserve no rights or respect cultivates a sense that we are disposable, unlovable, and shameful. It is this narrative that leads to violence.
If we are looking for answers to the epidemic of violence against transgender women this year, we should start in Houston with the campaign that legitimized the lie that transgender people are less than human.
Despite this devastating loss and the many losses of life and legal protections we have seen this year, the community is full of strength and resilience. The story won't end here. Fighting the vicious and dishonest bathroom panic argument is key to winning equal rights across the board.
We have a serious problem. But we have long-shown that there are answers in investing in and mobilizing the most vulnerable and despised among us.
Let's invest in trans people, trans communities, and trans resistance. We are fabulous and transformative.
"No men in women's bathrooms."
Those five words animated a campaign based in fear and deception that used anti-trans rhetoric to take down an equal rights ordinance in Houston, Texas, which protected 15 classes of people from discrimination.
After this week's vote on Proposition 1, Houston's Equal Rights Ordinance (HERO) was repealed by the voters. The vote not only strips away protections for LGBT Houstonians, veterans, pregnant people, people of color (whom 53 percent of the discrimination claims impacted) and others, it also sends a very clear message to Houston and the country that when it comes to understanding and supporting transgender people, we have a long way to go.
Everyone loses in Houston, but the trans community, in particular, is reeling from months of vitriol that undermined the very core of their humanity.
The factually dishonest message that HERO would permit men to enter women's restrooms relied on a core belief that transgender women are not women. The opposition used fear about and misconception of transgender people to spin lies that the ordinance would make it legal for someone to claim to be transgender in order to enter a restroom and commit a crime -- something that has never actually happened in the 17 states and 200 cities that already have protections for trans people. To be clear, the repealed ordinance did not even mention the word "bathroom," let alone authorize violence. And when it comes to violence and harassment, trans people are far more likely to get harassed while trying to use the bathroom than anyone else.
All that HERO's repeal actually does with respect to bathrooms is force more men, trans men, into women's restrooms and place all transgender people in less safe and more precarious positions in all aspects of our lives.
Though Houston is the latest battleground for this anti-transgender crusade by opponents of LGBT equality, this story is by no means a new one. We see efforts to undermine and demean the humanity of transgender people, particularly transgender women, everywhere from the pages of the New York Times to the stage of presidential debates.
In a year that has witnessed an epidemic of anti-transgender murders, it should be no secret that the messages these campaigns advance directly create the climate in which transgender people -- mostly transgender women of color -- are murdered. Sending the message that transgender people are deceitful predators who deserve no rights or respect cultivates a sense that we are disposable, unlovable, and shameful. It is this narrative that leads to violence.
If we are looking for answers to the epidemic of violence against transgender women this year, we should start in Houston with the campaign that legitimized the lie that transgender people are less than human.
Despite this devastating loss and the many losses of life and legal protections we have seen this year, the community is full of strength and resilience. The story won't end here. Fighting the vicious and dishonest bathroom panic argument is key to winning equal rights across the board.
We have a serious problem. But we have long-shown that there are answers in investing in and mobilizing the most vulnerable and despised among us.
Let's invest in trans people, trans communities, and trans resistance. We are fabulous and transformative.