It has been a challenging 12 months to be trans as our lives have become the focus of increased political attacks. The Cass review reverberated around the world, putting into question the access to gender affirming care. While it was debunked and obliterated by academics, medical organisations, and think tanks, the Tory government had their ‘silver bullet’ to justify action. Unfortunately, the election result in the UK did not bring the change we hoped with the Labour Government quickly accepting the Cass Review and extending the ban on puberty blockers for trans teens. The betrayal was not unexpected as Starmer had shown that he was unwilling to stand up for Trans rights in the led up to the election, but it is a decision that affects the most vulnerable members of the community.

As bad as things in the UK have gotten, things have gotten worse in the US. Over the course of 2024, a record tracking 586 bills were put forward attacking trans rights including care bans, forced outing, and bathroom bans, among many others. It set the scene for an ugly campaign and decision for many Democratics to blame the trans community for losing the election. Even the election of the first transgender person, Sarah McBride, elected to Congress has led to the implementation of a capital bathroom bans. This is a moment that shows the acceptance of the people of Delaware and the progress of America, yet it will always be tarnished by the overall wave of hatred and bigotry that has corrupted the system. This has meant that since the election, the trans community in the US has been living in fear and uncertainty since November. Yet, people have stupidly told them they are overreacting and they should worry.

Day 1 executive order against Trans people

They were not overacting. They were not worried without cause. On the 20th of January, Trump signed a staggering number of executive orders to start enacting some of his policies on border control, climate change, and trans identities  among so many other things. Many of these are set to be challenged in the courts, but for the immediate time, things look bleak. The order titled ““Defending Women From Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government” highlights its bases in common GC scare campaigns and is framed in such a way that really erases trans masculine identities. In a nutshell, the order effective attempts to invalidate our existence and ignore any scientific research in gender. It asserts the binary and attempts to enforce this over almost every aspect of our lives from identitification, healthcare, education, and workplace protections. If you want a more detailed breakdown, have a look at Erin in the mornings detailed analysis. The result is that trans people in the USA are having their identity erased and their personal safety put at risk.

We have seen this sort of legislation before back in 1935, the Nuremberg laws were an important milestone on the road to genocide. Named the “Protection of German Blood and honour” (notice this idea of defending and protection being used to justify stripping people of their rights) the laws stripped those deemed non-German of citizenship and therefore denied them specific rights. Sounds  bit like the idea of ending  birthright citizenship. Yet the laws went further for the Jewish population as it prohibited marriage between Jewish people and those classified as pure. It therefore provided the Nazis cause to arrest any Jews they found to be breaking these new set of laws. This is the logical progression of Trump’s actions, just like rounding up and deporting immigrants he will have cause to arrest Trans people who simply use the toilet that matches their gender. There have been numerous warnings that people have ignored or dismissed as hyperbole, but now, as this terrifying reality is upon us, hopefully, people start to wake up.

This is only the beginning

Unfortantly, there are those that may identify as LGB celebrating this due to their rejection of trans identities. However, there is a reason we are together in the rainbow community. This white christian masculine heterosexual regime is run by billionaires perceive us all as deivient and threats to their authority. We are just the first and easiest target, and it will not take long for more actions to follow. After all, it is only a question of overturning a few supreme court decisions from banning marriage equality or reinforcing anti-sodom laws. This is not the protection it once was with a stacked bench that has already overturned Roe vs. Wade these freedoms should not be taken for granted.

The spread of such action

As a trans woman living in Australia, I am deeply concerned about our forthcoming election and what impact Trump’s actions will have here. The influence of trends in the USA always has an impact, but added to this is Trump’s need for allies to be sycophants. This has been apparent in recent weeks with people like Mark Zuckerberg bending the knee and adopting certain policies before the inauguration. Internally, with Trump threatening tariffs and all kinds of international mayhem, the question is going to be which world leaders will kiss the ring to be given a better deal. The fact that Skynews Australia is attempting to highlight that Dutton will work well with Trump is an alarming thought. As it clearly acknowledges that Dutton’s own right-wing ideas are in line and therefore, as most of the LGBTQIA community in Australia are well aware, he represents a serious threat. 

Obviously,  Australia is thankfully very different, thanks with composlury voting and a Westminster system. This means that the power of the Prime Minister is much more limited, and their ability to win enough votes with extreme ideologies is more difficult. Yet, the current economic climate and dissatisfaction with Labor for not being able to lower  inflation means that many people will vote for the Coalition without really considering other issues, especially something like LGBTQIA rights. Afterall, the vast majority in Australia don’t really care who we are or what we do. An awareness of this means that Dutton is unlikely to campaign on such a direct appeal to an Anti Trans platform but will likely hope to enact one once he is in power. This is perhaps what many of us fear the most that people don’t actually realise the views or values of the people they are electing because they say know not to say certain things outside. It makes it harder to fight, and it makes it all the more terrifying.

This is why we need Allies to stand up

In the USA, it may be too late to change what is happening, but more than ever, the trans community there needs allies. People who will protect them from what is happening, that will lie when people come knocking, and that might help those wishing to leave. In places like Australia and Canada, they need to have their voices heard. They need to challenge right-wing views, campaigns, and, most importantly, vote. We make up 1% of the population, which means that we can not possibly fight alone. We need allies, and we need them to be active before it gets too late.