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Compromising with a purge: on messaging about trans people [1]

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Date: 2025-05-31

2. SUBTLETY IS FOR FUCKERS if you’re going to say something then say it loud and say it clear. there are times for clever metaphors and there are times when you gotta punch a fash’s lights out and we live in the second time — “The Meatpunks Manifesto,” Heather Flowers

In plain simple English, Trump’s “gender ideology” policy has included:

purging the military

denying benefits to people who served

purging government websites of LGBTQ content

blocking research to study violence

blocking research to study mental health

blocking research to study physical health

purging civilian employees

dropping all existing equal employment cases, including cases involving rape on the job

illegally taking funds allocated to other programs

removing coverage for gender-affirming care for both minors and adults

first steps at a blanket ban for gender-affirming care

defunding social support organizations that include trans people as clients

denying trans people identification needed for travel and voting

destroying or invalidating identification issued by state governments and previous administrations

requiring federal employees to use birth names even after a legal name change

threatening contractors with loss of contracts and denial of funds, even if they’re compliant with local law

It is unrealistic to believe that we can compromise on Trump’s illegal threats regarding trans athletes and support trans people. The illegal impoundment of federal grants is a test case in the violation of civil rights parallel to the illegal abduction and deportation of immigrants with documentation. It’s not about defending women, it’s about how much Trump can get away with.

And you don’t have to talk about trans athletes at all, you can apply any of the following strategies which have already been used by Democrats:

“This has nothing to do with the price of eggs.”

“This has nothing to do with government efficiency.”

“We are going to follow the law as interpreted by the state and federal courts.”

“Trump’s actions are an illegal use of executive power to attack a disadvantaged minority.”

It is foolish to think we can play whack-a-mole of messaging around a policy that demands total erasure and elimination. It is bad government to compromise with the illegal actions of the executive branch. It is a betrayal of values to endorse a policy that openly, publicly, and in plain English is a first step to destroying LGBTQ rights and body autonomy.

If we get to a point where we can make policy decisions without the threat of tyranny, then we can entertain whether this or that example of inclusion is “fair.” Trans people are losing jobs today. Trans people are losing health care today. Some trans people will not live to see the next election. Some trans people will not be able to vote next election. We need to discuss the Republican anti-trans agenda as it exists today, as an agenda for elimination. We need to challenge their strategies for exploiting personal discomfort and disagreement on details to open the door for brutality and hatred.

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