Jazz Jennings is a regular girl.
She was born in 2004. She grew up in South Florida. She has her own YouTube channel, which she uses to share about her life.
Not according to everyone.
Jennings was born with male genitalia and always felt she was a girl stuck in a boy’s body, even as a toddler. But not everyone accepts this. Transgender rights have not been given the same attention as gay rights.
At the age of 16, Jennings is famous for being one of the youngest public transgender activists. Her work earned a small victory for her community Tuesday when she inspired the Tonner Doll Company to design a doll after her.
Though one doll will not change everything, it is important because media portrayal plays a vital role in normalizing. Those marginalized in the past and present fight for mainstream representation in order to reduce the stigma of their group.
However, a celebration hardly had time to commence.
The next day, President Donald Trump’s administration rescinded guidelines created under the Obama administration that directed public schools to allow transgender individuals to use restrooms corresponding to their gender identity. White House spokesperson Sean Spicer said Trump will let each state decide.
Why should the states decide something that involves civil liberties?
Similarly to when gay marriage was left up to individual states, there will be those who oppose this right, and transgender individuals from those states will feel uncomfortable in their own skin. There were 14 states that had banned gay marriage before it was made a federal right in 2015.
An example of a state issue that belongs there for the time being is the legalization of marijuana. Because its use is a choice and its effects are questioned, the debate turns into a subjective one. Using a restroom you feel comfortable in should not be seen as a debate.
The move is not a surprising one from Trump’s conservative White House, but it is yet another example of him disregarding the stances he took during his campaign that set him apart from other Republicans before him.
At his G.O.P. nomination acceptance, Trump said he would protect the LGBTQ community. On Oct. 30, 2016, Trump held a rainbow flag at a Colorado Rally. On Jan. 30, 2017, Trump issued a statement that he would not adjust Obama’s policy on LGBTQ workplace discrimination.
Yet here we are, and he seems to be forgetting the “T” in LGBTQ stands for transgender. Trump is not alone in this either — after gay rights being at the forefront of activism for so long, it is taking time to truly get behind the meaning behind LGBTQ.
Here at Lehigh, we have the luxury as a private institution to keep the 70-plus gender-inclusive bathrooms that were converted in 2015. But there is more to do than remain static in our campus culture.
We need to do a better job of remembering the forgotten T.
1 Comment
“Similarly to when gay marriage was left up to individual states, there will be those who oppose this right, and transgender individuals from those states will feel uncomfortable in their own skin. There were 14 states that had banned gay marriage before it was made a federal right in 2015.”
For those who consider marriage as more than a civil ceremony gay marriage is unacceptable. Those who did not wish to feel uncomfortable in their own skins have effectively transferred those feelings to others. To turn around a Rolling Stones lyric: you can get what you want but you may not get what you need.
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