Trans Rights Face Backlash as Trump’s Election Victory Fuels Fear

Trans Rights Face Backlash as Trump’s Election Victory Fuels Fear \ Newslooks \ Washington DC \ Mary Sidiqi \ Evening Edition \ Donald Trump’s election win and a surge of anti-trans campaigns mark a significant setback for LGBTQ rights in the United States. Advocates fear aggressive rollbacks on education, healthcare, and military protections for transgender people. However, resilience, calls for unity, and historic victories like Sarah McBride’s election to Congress keep hope alive in the fight for dignity and equality.

Trans Rights and the Backlash: Quick Looks

• Election Impact: Trump’s anti-trans campaign fuels concerns about restrictive policies and increased marginalization.
• Key Concerns: Potential rollbacks in Title IX protections, healthcare, sports participation, and military service.
• Public Opinion: Divided, with a majority opposing some bans on gender-affirming care but favoring restrictions on trans athletes.
• Historic Wins: Sarah McBride becomes the first openly trans person in Congress, and Zooey Zephyr is reelected in Montana.
• Advocates’ Response: Renewed focus on coalition-building, public education, and long-term strategies.

Deep Look

Donald Trump’s election victory, coupled with wins for other candidates who campaigned on anti-trans platforms, signals a growing backlash against transgender rights in the United States. This political shift has left the LGBTQ community bracing for renewed attacks on hard-won protections and increased marginalization of transgender individuals.

Anti-Trans Sentiment Surges

The rise of anti-trans sentiment is not new but has gained momentum in recent years. Republican-led states have enacted numerous laws targeting transgender people, restricting their access to healthcare, participation in sports, and use of public facilities. Trump’s campaign amplified these efforts with pervasive anti-trans rhetoric, including advertisements mocking Democratic support for transgender rights.

One widely aired ad declared, “Kamala is for they/them. President Trump is for you,” referring to Vice President Kamala Harris’s stance on inclusivity. Other Democratic candidates faced similar attacks, turning trans issues into a central talking point for Republican campaigns.

Jennifer Finney Boylan, a transgender author and professor at Barnard College, expressed the pain many in the trans community felt during the election. “I couldn’t watch a sports event without seeing trans people portrayed as monsters,” Boylan said. Yet, she emphasized resilience: “We’ve been knocked down before. We’ll be knocked down again. All we can do is fight.”

Policy Threats Under a Trump Administration

Advocates fear that Trump’s return to power, alongside a Republican-controlled Congress, will lead to aggressive rollbacks of existing trans rights. Key areas of concern include:

1. Education

The Trump administration is expected to target Title IX protections for transgender students. These rules currently influence policies on pronouns, restrooms, locker rooms, and sports participation in schools. Removing these protections would have far-reaching implications for trans youth nationwide.

2. Healthcare

Gender-affirming care, including puberty blockers and hormone therapy, is already under attack in at least 26 states that have enacted bans or severe restrictions. Trump has proposed barring doctors and hospitals providing such care from participating in Medicaid and Medicare programs. In Texas, Attorney General Ken Paxton has begun filing lawsuits against medical professionals who provide gender-affirming care to minors, signaling a potential blueprint for national policy.

3. Sports Participation

Trump and other Republicans have embraced anti-trans narratives around sports, opposing what they call “boys in girls’ sports.” At least 24 states already ban transgender women and girls from participating in women’s sports competitions. In 2022, the NCAA faced a high-profile lawsuit after transgender swimmer Lia Thomas won the 500-yard freestyle championship, sparking a debate that Trump and his allies have vowed to escalate.

4. Military Service

Transgender advocates fear that Trump may reinstate the ban on trans individuals serving openly in the military, reversing policies put in place by the Biden administration. Limiting access to gender-affirming care for active-duty service members and veterans is another potential area of concern.

Shannon Minter, a transgender civil rights attorney, described the current moment as “frightening” and warned that the new administration could adopt policies causing “devastating harm” to trans individuals and their families.

Public Opinion: A Divided Landscape

While anti-trans narratives have gained political traction, public opinion on trans rights remains split. AP VoteCast data shows that 55% of voters believe support for transgender rights has gone too far, including 85% of Trump supporters. However, slightly more than half of voters oppose laws banning gender-affirming care for minors, and a significant number support trans individuals’ access to basic protections.

Gallup polling reveals a more contentious issue in sports, with 69% of Americans stating that transgender athletes should compete on teams aligning with their birth gender. These mixed views underscore the challenges trans-rights advocates face in building broader public support.

Victories Amid Setbacks

Despite the political setbacks, the LGBTQ movement celebrated some historic wins in the election. Sarah McBride, a trailblazing advocate for LGBTQ rights, became the first openly transgender person elected to Congress. Zooey Zephyr, a transgender lawmaker in Montana, also won reelection, enabling her return to the state House after facing sanctions from Republican colleagues nearly two years ago.

These victories serve as a beacon of hope, even as nationwide anger and anxiety dominate the emotions of trans activists.

“This election season has been brutal,” wrote leaders of Advocates for Transgender Equality. “Trump targeted trans people since his campaign launch. He targeted our existence. He promised he would continue to target us — and we know he will keep his promise.”

The Fight for Resilience

Advocates are focusing on coalition-building and long-term strategies to counteract the anti-trans backlash. Shelby Chestnut, executive director of the Transgender Law Center, urged the community to avoid despair.

“It’s a precarious time,” Chestnut said. “We will get through this, but we have to step up and support each other. How do we see the long game, not just the immediate narrow view? Where do we want to be in 15 years?”

Jennifer Finney Boylan highlighted the broader struggle for dignity and understanding. “The primary thing we’re fighting for is not the right to play on a soccer team,” Boylan said. “We’re fighting for dignity, for respect, for the right to be left alone.”

Lessons from the Past

The LGBTQ-rights movement has faced similar challenges before. From 2004 to 2008, anti-gay marriage campaigns swept the nation, with 26 states passing laws defining marriage as between one man and one woman. However, by 2015, the tide turned, culminating in the Supreme Court’s landmark decision to legalize same-sex marriage.

Advocates hope to replicate this trajectory for transgender rights, but acknowledge that the issues are more complex and less understood by the public. Building public awareness and fostering empathy will be critical in shifting the narrative.

Looking Ahead

The fight for transgender rights faces daunting challenges, but the resilience and determination of the LGBTQ community remain strong. Advocates are calling for renewed unity and a focus on education to counteract the political and cultural backlash.

As transgender man Maxwell Kuzma put it, “Life as a trans person has forced me to learn a resiliency that I will lean on as I continue to speak out against prejudice and discrimination.”

More on Elections