{"id":27709,"date":"2015-11-10T16:21:04","date_gmt":"2015-11-10T21:21:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.gayfriendschat.com\/socialblog\/the-state-of-the-trans-community-part-4-allies-or-adversaries\/"},"modified":"2015-11-10T16:21:04","modified_gmt":"2015-11-10T21:21:04","slug":"the-state-of-the-trans-community-part-4-allies-or-adversaries","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gayfriendschat.com\/socialblog\/the-state-of-the-trans-community-part-4-allies-or-adversaries\/","title":{"rendered":"The State of the Trans Community, Part 4 &#8212; Allies or Adversaries?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><b>The State of the Trans Community, Part 4 &#8212; Allies or Adversaries?<\/b><br \/>\nAs we proceed in our advocacy efforts post-HERO, no longer with any excuses to ignore the strategies of &#8220;bathroom bills&#8221; and &#8220;religious liberty&#8221; espoused by our adversaries, we need to take stock and seriously consider how we can create new allies. We&#8217;ve never been able to win more than a few local victories on our own, which we did when the <a title=\"\" class=\"aalmanual\" target=\"_blank\"   href=\"https:\/\/offers.cam4tracking.com\/aff_c?offer_id=125&#38;aff_id=2778&#38;source=gfcsb\">trans<\/a> issue was virtually unknown throughout society at large. (For an introduction to what the world was like then for many, I suggest you read this<a href=\"http:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/2015\/11\/13\/trans-people-cant-get-health-care-390375.html)%20about%20aging%20trans%20persons\" target=\"_hplink\"> column<\/a> by Liana Aghajanian.)<\/p>\n<p> The ally issue was raised shortly after Election Day by this <a href=\"http:\/\/change.org\" class=\"autohyperlink\">change.org<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.change.org\/p\/human-rights-campaign-glaad-lambda-legal-the-advocate-out-magazine-huffpost-gay-voices-drop-the-t\" target=\"_hplink\">petition<\/a> demanding that the national LGBT organizations revert to being LG only. Being 2015, many thought this was that day&#8217;s edition of the <em>Onion<\/em> satire. Others we devastated to see such a thing publicly. I, too, was surprised by the gall it took to go public, which was mitigated by the fact the sponsor was anonymous. Not to be outdone, the anti-<a title=\"\" class=\"aalmanual\" target=\"_blank\"   href=\"https:\/\/offers.cam4tracking.com\/aff_c?offer_id=125&#38;aff_id=2778&#38;source=gfcsb\">trans<\/a> <a title=\"\" class=\"aalmanual\" target=\"_blank\"   href=\"https:\/\/www.flirt4free.com\/live\/girls\/?mp_code=akftr\">lesbian<\/a> separatists promoted their own (signed) <a href=\"https:\/\/www.change.org\/p\/hrc-glaad-nclr-lambda-legal-the-advocate-huffpo-gay-voices-we-are-getting-the-l-out-of-the-lgbt?recruiter=728931&amp;utm_source=share_petition&amp;utm_medium=twitter&amp;utm_campaign=share_twitter_responsive\" target=\"_hplink\">petition<\/a> two days later. Then the anonymous poster of the &#8220;Drop the T&#8221; petition sat for an <a href=\"http:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2015\/11\/09\/exclusive-gay-man-explains-his-petition-to-drop-the-t-in-lgbt\/\" target=\"_hplink\">interview<\/a> with the extreme right blog, the <em>Federalist<\/em>, to explain his views. His views were some of the most outdated and incoherent I&#8217;ve read in a long time. I&#8217;ve battled these people within the community for the past decade, both <a title=\"\" class=\"aalmanual\" target=\"_blank\"   href=\"https:\/\/chaturbate.com\/in\/?tour=R2Xc&#38;campaign=hl4zp&#38;track=gfcsb\">gay<\/a> <a title=\"\" class=\"aalmanual\" target=\"_blank\"   href=\"https:\/\/chaturbate.com\/in\/?tour=R2Xc&#38;campaign=hl4zp&#38;track=gfcsb\">men<\/a> and <a title=\"\" class=\"aalmanual\" target=\"_blank\"   href=\"https:\/\/www.flirt4free.com\/live\/girls\/?mp_code=akftr\">women<\/a>, some at the highest levels of our community, so the intentions of these groups are nothing new. <\/p>\n<p> Fortunately, some national advocacy organizations <a href=\"http:\/\/www.advocate.com\/transgender\/2015\/11\/06\/lgbt-groups-respond-petition-asking-drop-t\" target=\"_hplink\">reacted<\/a> rapidly, and the response yielded a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.change.org\/p\/human-rights-campaign-glaad-lambda-legal-the-advocate-out-magazine-huffpost-gay-voices-lgbtq-community-we-stand-with-trans-people-reject-drop-the-t#petition-letter\" target=\"_hplink\">counter-petition<\/a>. So far there has been little in the way of incitement and hate speech.<\/p>\n<p> Incitement, however, is still occurring on campuses, threatening to balkanize an already tiny community and isolate us from the mainstream of which we are a part and whose support we ultimately need. It&#8217;s been two decades since the formation of GenderPAC, a national <a title=\"\" class=\"aalmanual\" target=\"_blank\"   href=\"https:\/\/offers.cam4tracking.com\/aff_c?offer_id=125&#38;aff_id=2778&#38;source=gfcsb\">trans<\/a> advocacy group which evolved to focus on outreach to the general community on issues of gender expression and a deeper understanding of masculinity and femininity. That organization ultimate suffered from intra-communal wars demanding purity of focus on <a title=\"\" class=\"aalmanual\" target=\"_blank\"   href=\"https:\/\/offers.cam4tracking.com\/aff_c?offer_id=125&#38;aff_id=2778&#38;source=gfcsb\">trans<\/a> persons, and the progress we&#8217;ve made today is threatened by the increasing radicalization of the young generation of <a title=\"\" class=\"aalmanual\" target=\"_blank\"   href=\"https:\/\/offers.cam4tracking.com\/aff_c?offer_id=125&#38;aff_id=2778&#38;source=gfcsb\">trans<\/a> and genderqueer activists.<\/p>\n<p> As a recent example, I received a letter from a young <a title=\"\" class=\"aalmanual\" target=\"_blank\"   href=\"https:\/\/www.flirt4free.com\/live\/girls\/?mp_code=akftr\">woman<\/a> studying neuroscience at Scripps College in southern California. An ardent feminist as well as a scientist, Jillian Knox, was part of a campus event called Project Vulva, aimed at helping people understand the difference between a vagina and vulva. The effort to destigmatize those anatomical terms engendered <a href=\"http:\/\/claremontindependent.com\/students-condemn-project-vulva-for-transmisogyny\/\" target=\"_hplink\">backlash<\/a> with the <a title=\"\" class=\"aalmanual\" target=\"_blank\"   href=\"https:\/\/www.flirt4free.com\/live\/girls\/?mp_code=akftr\">women<\/a> staging the event being called transmisogynistic, transphobic, gross and ugly, and degenerated into cyberbullying in an attempt to shame Jillian and her friends into silence. One critic said, &#8220;&#8221;A <a title=\"\" class=\"aalmanual\" target=\"_blank\"   href=\"https:\/\/offers.cam4tracking.com\/aff_c?offer_id=125&#38;aff_id=2778&#38;source=gfcsb\">trans<\/a> <a title=\"\" class=\"aalmanual\" target=\"_blank\"   href=\"https:\/\/www.flirt4free.com\/live\/girls\/?mp_code=akftr\">woman<\/a> is telling y&#8217;all this makes her feel uncomfortable and that&#8217;s not enough for you to rethink your stance on this? You&#8217;re gross, this whole thing is gross, have fun with your ugly cupcakes.&#8221; Really? Someone is uncomfortable and that is supposed to simply shut down the program and all discussion? Why is that person in college in the first place?<\/p>\n<p> That Jillian and her friends were bullied is shameful; that the school&#8217;s <a title=\"\" class=\"aalmanual\" target=\"_blank\"   href=\"https:\/\/offers.cam4tracking.com\/aff_c?offer_id=125&#38;aff_id=2778&#38;source=gfcsb\">trans<\/a> community and its allies are so insecure that they would attack a group simply trying to teach about <a title=\"\" class=\"aalmanual\" target=\"_blank\"   href=\"https:\/\/www.flirt4free.com\/live\/girls\/?mp_code=akftr\">female<\/a> anatomy is disgraceful. These <a title=\"\" class=\"aalmanual\" target=\"_blank\"   href=\"https:\/\/www.flirt4free.com\/live\/girls\/?mp_code=akftr\">women<\/a> are our natural allies, whose assistance we need to achieve full equality, yet their classmates attack rather than attempt to cooperate.<\/p>\n<p> We have made great progress over the past decade decoupling gender identity from genitalia. On the one hand, it&#8217;s easy, because gender identity is a brain function and genitalia are just genitals. On the other hand, trying to teach a society that has been raised for generations (millennia, actually) to believe that <a title=\"\" class=\"aalmanual\" target=\"_blank\"   href=\"https:\/\/www.flirt4free.com\/live\/girls\/couples\/?mp_code=akftr\">sex<\/a> is nothing more than genitals, is extremely difficult. Because we have been successful, we have put ourselves in the unenviable but unavoidable position of dealing with bathroom panic attacks that stem from fears of <a title=\"\" class=\"aalmanual\" target=\"_blank\"   href=\"https:\/\/chaturbate.com\/in\/?tour=R2Xc&#38;campaign=hl4zp&#38;track=gfcsb\">male<\/a> genitals. <\/p>\n<p> Not that long ago <a title=\"\" class=\"aalmanual\" target=\"_blank\"   href=\"https:\/\/offers.cam4tracking.com\/aff_c?offer_id=125&#38;aff_id=2778&#38;source=gfcsb\">trans<\/a> <a title=\"\" class=\"aalmanual\" target=\"_blank\"   href=\"https:\/\/www.flirt4free.com\/live\/girls\/?mp_code=akftr\">women<\/a> were assumed to have undergone genital reconstruction. No more <a title=\"\" class=\"aalmanual\" target=\"_blank\"   href=\"https:\/\/chaturbate.com\/in\/?tour=R2Xc&#38;campaign=hl4zp&#38;track=gfcsb\">penis<\/a>, therefore, no threat that the <a title=\"\" class=\"aalmanual\" target=\"_blank\"   href=\"https:\/\/chaturbate.com\/in\/?tour=R2Xc&#38;campaign=hl4zp&#38;track=gfcsb\">male<\/a> weapon would be used for predation, a fear that underlies transphobia. Not that there weren&#8217;t many <a title=\"\" class=\"aalmanual\" target=\"_blank\"   href=\"https:\/\/offers.cam4tracking.com\/aff_c?offer_id=125&#38;aff_id=2778&#38;source=gfcsb\">trans<\/a> <a title=\"\" class=\"aalmanual\" target=\"_blank\"   href=\"https:\/\/www.flirt4free.com\/live\/girls\/?mp_code=akftr\">women<\/a> who could not afford bottom surgery, or for whom it was medically contraindicated, or who just didn&#8217;t care, but the cisgender population viewed <a title=\"\" class=\"aalmanual\" target=\"_blank\"   href=\"https:\/\/offers.cam4tracking.com\/aff_c?offer_id=125&#38;aff_id=2778&#38;source=gfcsb\">trans<\/a> <a title=\"\" class=\"aalmanual\" target=\"_blank\"   href=\"https:\/\/www.flirt4free.com\/live\/girls\/?mp_code=akftr\">women<\/a> as postoperative <a title=\"\" class=\"aalmanual\" target=\"_blank\"   href=\"https:\/\/offers.cam4tracking.com\/aff_c?offer_id=125&#38;aff_id=2778&#38;source=gfcsb\">trans<\/a> <a title=\"\" class=\"aalmanual\" target=\"_blank\"   href=\"https:\/\/www.flirt4free.com\/live\/girls\/?mp_code=akftr\">women<\/a>. As the decoupling began, initially targeted to include <a title=\"\" class=\"aalmanual\" target=\"_blank\"   href=\"https:\/\/offers.cam4tracking.com\/aff_c?offer_id=125&#38;aff_id=2778&#38;source=gfcsb\">trans<\/a> <a title=\"\" class=\"aalmanual\" target=\"_blank\"   href=\"https:\/\/chaturbate.com\/in\/?tour=R2Xc&#38;campaign=hl4zp&#38;track=gfcsb\">men<\/a> rather than non-operative <a title=\"\" class=\"aalmanual\" target=\"_blank\"   href=\"https:\/\/offers.cam4tracking.com\/aff_c?offer_id=125&#38;aff_id=2778&#38;source=gfcsb\">trans<\/a> <a title=\"\" class=\"aalmanual\" target=\"_blank\"   href=\"https:\/\/www.flirt4free.com\/live\/girls\/?mp_code=akftr\">women<\/a>, it became obvious to more non-<a title=\"\" class=\"aalmanual\" target=\"_blank\"   href=\"https:\/\/offers.cam4tracking.com\/aff_c?offer_id=125&#38;aff_id=2778&#38;source=gfcsb\">trans<\/a> persons, as an unintended consequence, that some <a title=\"\" class=\"aalmanual\" target=\"_blank\"   href=\"https:\/\/offers.cam4tracking.com\/aff_c?offer_id=125&#38;aff_id=2778&#38;source=gfcsb\">trans<\/a> <a title=\"\" class=\"aalmanual\" target=\"_blank\"   href=\"https:\/\/www.flirt4free.com\/live\/girls\/?mp_code=akftr\">women<\/a> still had their penises, and that propelled the bathroom panic forward.<\/p>\n<p> I don&#8217;t for a minute believe that we wouldn&#8217;t have bathroom panics directed towards <a title=\"\" class=\"aalmanual\" target=\"_blank\"   href=\"https:\/\/offers.cam4tracking.com\/aff_c?offer_id=125&#38;aff_id=2778&#38;source=gfcsb\">trans<\/a> equality even if all <a title=\"\" class=\"aalmanual\" target=\"_blank\"   href=\"https:\/\/offers.cam4tracking.com\/aff_c?offer_id=125&#38;aff_id=2778&#38;source=gfcsb\">trans<\/a> <a title=\"\" class=\"aalmanual\" target=\"_blank\"   href=\"https:\/\/www.flirt4free.com\/live\/girls\/?mp_code=akftr\">women<\/a> had vaginas, as most civil rights movements have degenerated into bathroom civil wars for no rational reasons. But given that the <a title=\"\" class=\"aalmanual\" target=\"_blank\"   href=\"https:\/\/offers.cam4tracking.com\/aff_c?offer_id=125&#38;aff_id=2778&#38;source=gfcsb\">trans<\/a> community is diverse in its anatomy, we have, by necessity, proceeded to educate the general population that genital anatomy and brain <a title=\"\" class=\"aalmanual\" target=\"_blank\"   href=\"https:\/\/www.flirt4free.com\/live\/girls\/couples\/?mp_code=akftr\">sex<\/a>\/gender are two independent phenomena. We&#8217;re making progress, but that progress is impacted when we also have <a title=\"\" class=\"aalmanual\" target=\"_blank\"   href=\"https:\/\/offers.cam4tracking.com\/aff_c?offer_id=125&#38;aff_id=2778&#38;source=gfcsb\">trans<\/a> students who are offended when NARAL is protecting <a title=\"\" class=\"aalmanual\" target=\"_blank\"   href=\"https:\/\/www.flirt4free.com\/live\/girls\/?mp_code=akftr\">women<\/a>&#8217;s reproductive rights without mentioning <a title=\"\" class=\"aalmanual\" target=\"_blank\"   href=\"https:\/\/offers.cam4tracking.com\/aff_c?offer_id=125&#38;aff_id=2778&#38;source=gfcsb\">trans<\/a> <a title=\"\" class=\"aalmanual\" target=\"_blank\"   href=\"https:\/\/chaturbate.com\/in\/?tour=R2Xc&#38;campaign=hl4zp&#38;track=gfcsb\">men<\/a>, or a college is staging a performance of the slightly dated, non-genderqueer-inclusive The Vagina Monologues, or a group of <a title=\"\" class=\"aalmanual\" target=\"_blank\"   href=\"https:\/\/www.flirt4free.com\/live\/girls\/?mp_code=akftr\">female<\/a> students is trying to destigmatize <a title=\"\" class=\"aalmanual\" target=\"_blank\"   href=\"https:\/\/www.flirt4free.com\/live\/girls\/?mp_code=akftr\">female<\/a> genitalia.<\/p>\n<p> These groups are in no way excluding <a title=\"\" class=\"aalmanual\" target=\"_blank\"   href=\"https:\/\/offers.cam4tracking.com\/aff_c?offer_id=125&#38;aff_id=2778&#38;source=gfcsb\">trans<\/a> <a title=\"\" class=\"aalmanual\" target=\"_blank\"   href=\"https:\/\/www.flirt4free.com\/live\/girls\/?mp_code=akftr\">women<\/a> or <a title=\"\" class=\"aalmanual\" target=\"_blank\"   href=\"https:\/\/offers.cam4tracking.com\/aff_c?offer_id=125&#38;aff_id=2778&#38;source=gfcsb\">trans<\/a> <a title=\"\" class=\"aalmanual\" target=\"_blank\"   href=\"https:\/\/chaturbate.com\/in\/?tour=R2Xc&#38;campaign=hl4zp&#38;track=gfcsb\">men<\/a>. Not mentioning them, or not using gender-neutral language, is not an act of exclusion. Denying <a title=\"\" class=\"aalmanual\" target=\"_blank\"   href=\"https:\/\/offers.cam4tracking.com\/aff_c?offer_id=125&#38;aff_id=2778&#38;source=gfcsb\">trans<\/a> <a title=\"\" class=\"aalmanual\" target=\"_blank\"   href=\"https:\/\/chaturbate.com\/in\/?tour=R2Xc&#38;campaign=hl4zp&#38;track=gfcsb\">men<\/a> reproductive health care would be an act of exclusion. Refusing to discuss <a title=\"\" class=\"aalmanual\" target=\"_blank\"   href=\"https:\/\/offers.cam4tracking.com\/aff_c?offer_id=125&#38;aff_id=2778&#38;source=gfcsb\">trans<\/a> bodies in a discussion of <em>The Vagina Monologues<\/em> would be exclusion. Blocking <a title=\"\" class=\"aalmanual\" target=\"_blank\"   href=\"https:\/\/offers.cam4tracking.com\/aff_c?offer_id=125&#38;aff_id=2778&#38;source=gfcsb\">trans<\/a> <a title=\"\" class=\"aalmanual\" target=\"_blank\"   href=\"https:\/\/www.flirt4free.com\/live\/girls\/?mp_code=akftr\">women<\/a> from participating in Project Vulva would be exclusion. <\/p>\n<p> When we lobby for anti-discrimination protections, we fight to add categories such as gender identity and gender expression. In court we argue cases on the basis of <a title=\"\" class=\"aalmanual\" target=\"_blank\"   href=\"https:\/\/www.flirt4free.com\/live\/girls\/couples\/?mp_code=akftr\">sex<\/a> discrimination and <a title=\"\" class=\"aalmanual\" target=\"_blank\"   href=\"https:\/\/www.flirt4free.com\/live\/girls\/couples\/?mp_code=akftr\">sex<\/a> stereotypes. We&#8217;re fortunate that the law, in its genius, is structured around these abstract classifications with fuzzy boundaries, rather than specific identities which ebb and flow over time. That&#8217;s how we create positive change.<\/p>\n<p> Politically speaking and being hard-nosed and practical, I will say that <a title=\"\" class=\"aalmanual\" target=\"_blank\"   href=\"https:\/\/offers.cam4tracking.com\/aff_c?offer_id=125&#38;aff_id=2778&#38;source=gfcsb\">trans<\/a> persons have no right to demand that language be changed to include them while alienating the vast majority in the process. Educate, yes; demand, no. Doing so alienates millions of potential allies. It is very easy to turn off those who are willing to learn about a community of which they know little but have been taught to fear. Really, is a group of <a title=\"\" class=\"aalmanual\" target=\"_blank\"   href=\"https:\/\/www.flirt4free.com\/live\/girls\/?mp_code=akftr\">girls<\/a> discussing the difference between a vagina and vulva a threat to anyone? Many <a title=\"\" class=\"aalmanual\" target=\"_blank\"   href=\"https:\/\/offers.cam4tracking.com\/aff_c?offer_id=125&#38;aff_id=2778&#38;source=gfcsb\">trans<\/a> persons could use brush-ups on anatomical terminology, too.<\/p>\n<p> The more important issue, though, is finding a way to work with our natural allies to deal with the more threatening resistance in this country. When three Republican presidential candidates attend a <a href=\"http:\/\/www.towleroad.com\/2015\/11\/rachel-maddow-kill-the-gays\/\" target=\"_hplink\">conference<\/a> where speakers exhort their listeners to &#8220;kill the <a title=\"\" class=\"aalmanual\" target=\"_blank\"   href=\"https:\/\/chaturbate.com\/in\/?tour=R2Xc&#38;campaign=hl4zp&#38;track=gfcsb\">gays<\/a>,&#8221; we can&#8217;t afford to shut down rational debate. Women discussing <a title=\"\" class=\"aalmanual\" target=\"_blank\"   href=\"https:\/\/www.flirt4free.com\/live\/girls\/?mp_code=akftr\">female<\/a> anatomy doesn&#8217;t exclude anyone else from discussion, nor does it prevent <a title=\"\" class=\"aalmanual\" target=\"_blank\"   href=\"https:\/\/offers.cam4tracking.com\/aff_c?offer_id=125&#38;aff_id=2778&#38;source=gfcsb\">trans<\/a> <a title=\"\" class=\"aalmanual\" target=\"_blank\"   href=\"https:\/\/www.flirt4free.com\/live\/girls\/?mp_code=akftr\">women<\/a> from educating their peers that not all <a title=\"\" class=\"aalmanual\" target=\"_blank\"   href=\"https:\/\/www.flirt4free.com\/live\/girls\/?mp_code=akftr\">women<\/a> have vaginas or vulva and explaining why. That&#8217;s how you increase understanding and grow a movement. <\/p>\n<p>&#8212; This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our <a href=\"http:\/\/www.huffingtonpost.com\/terms.html\/\">terms.<\/a> It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.<\/p>\n<p><br clear=\"all\"><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/rc.feedsportal.com\/r\/244157899309\/u\/197\/f\/677065\/c\/35496\/s\/4b658491\/sc\/11\/rc\/1\/rc.htm\" rel=\"nofollow\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/rc.feedsportal.com\/r\/244157899309\/u\/197\/f\/677065\/c\/35496\/s\/4b658491\/sc\/11\/rc\/1\/rc.img\" border=\"0\"><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/rc.feedsportal.com\/r\/244157899309\/u\/197\/f\/677065\/c\/35496\/s\/4b658491\/sc\/11\/rc\/2\/rc.htm\" rel=\"nofollow\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/rc.feedsportal.com\/r\/244157899309\/u\/197\/f\/677065\/c\/35496\/s\/4b658491\/sc\/11\/rc\/2\/rc.img\" border=\"0\"><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/rc.feedsportal.com\/r\/244157899309\/u\/197\/f\/677065\/c\/35496\/s\/4b658491\/sc\/11\/rc\/3\/rc.htm\" rel=\"nofollow\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/rc.feedsportal.com\/r\/244157899309\/u\/197\/f\/677065\/c\/35496\/s\/4b658491\/sc\/11\/rc\/3\/rc.img\" border=\"0\"><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/da.feedsportal.com\/r\/244157899309\/u\/197\/f\/677065\/c\/35496\/s\/4b658491\/sc\/11\/a2.htm\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/da.feedsportal.com\/r\/244157899309\/u\/197\/f\/677065\/c\/35496\/s\/4b658491\/sc\/11\/a2.img\" border=\"0\"><\/a><br \/><a href=\"http:\/\/adchoice.feedsportal.com\/r\/244157899309\/u\/197\/f\/677065\/c\/35496\/s\/4b658491\/sc\/11\/ach.htm\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/adchoice.feedsportal.com\/r\/244157899309\/u\/197\/f\/677065\/c\/35496\/s\/4b658491\/sc\/11\/ach.img\" border=\"0\"><\/a><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" src=\"http:\/\/pi.feedsportal.com\/r\/244157899309\/u\/197\/f\/677065\/c\/35496\/s\/4b658491\/sc\/11\/a2t.img\" border=\"0\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" src=\"http:\/\/pi2.feedsportal.com\/r\/244157899309\/u\/197\/f\/677065\/c\/35496\/s\/4b658491\/sc\/11\/a2t2.img\" border=\"0\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" src=\"http:\/\/feeds.huffingtonpost.com\/c\/35496\/f\/677065\/s\/4b658491\/sc\/11\/mf.gif\" border=\"0\"><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/feeds.huffingtonpost.com\/c\/35496\/f\/677065\/s\/4b658491\/sc\/11\/l\/0L0Shuffingtonpost0N0Cdana0Ebeyer0Cthe0Estate0Eof0Ethe0Etrans0Eco0Ib0I85255380Bhtml0Dutm0Ihp0Iref0Fgay0Evoices0Gir0FGay0KVoices\/story01.htm\" class=\"autohyperlink\">feeds.huffingtonpost.com\/c\/35496\/f\/677065\/s\/4b658491\/sc\/11\/l\/0L0Shuffingtonpost0N0Cdana0Ebeyer0Cthe0Estate0Eof0Ethe0Etrans0Eco0Ib0I85255380Bhtml0Dutm0Ihp0Iref0Fgay0Evoices0Gir0FGay0KVoices\/story01.htm<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The State of the Trans Community, Part 4 &#8212; Allies or Adversaries? As we proceed in our advocacy efforts post-HERO, no longer with any excuses to ignore the strategies of &#8220;bathroom bills&#8221; and &#8220;religious liberty&#8221; espoused by our adversaries, we need to take stock and seriously consider how we can create new allies. We&#8217;ve never &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gayfriendschat.com\/socialblog\/the-state-of-the-trans-community-part-4-allies-or-adversaries\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">The State of the Trans Community, Part 4 &#8212; Allies or Adversaries?<\/span> <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2466,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[107],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-27709","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>The State of the Trans Community, Part 4 - Allies or Adversaries? - GAYFRIENDSCHAT.com<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.gayfriendschat.com\/socialblog\/the-state-of-the-trans-community-part-4-allies-or-adversaries\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The State of the Trans Community, Part 4 - Allies or Adversaries? - GAYFRIENDSCHAT.com\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The State of the Trans Community, Part 4 &#8212; Allies or Adversaries? As we proceed in our advocacy efforts post-HERO, no longer with any excuses to ignore the strategies of &#8220;bathroom bills&#8221; and &#8220;religious liberty&#8221; espoused by our adversaries, we need to take stock and seriously consider how we can create new allies. 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As we proceed in our advocacy efforts post-HERO, no longer with any excuses to ignore the strategies of &#8220;bathroom bills&#8221; and &#8220;religious liberty&#8221; espoused by our adversaries, we need to take stock and seriously consider how we can create new allies. 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