Transphobia in the Daily Trojan

The argument that society is unable to multitask and shouldn’t address certain issues because we have “larger problems to worry about” is a tired one, especially when it comes to human rights. Rights are always a pressing matter and protecting them should always be a priority, because unfortunately our world is one in which human rights are not ensured for everyone. And in a society in which transgender people are subject to fierce transphobia, it’s especially important to have a legal basis for the recognition and protection of their rights.

Engie Salama takes on the subject of trans rights in her op-ed piece, arguing that they should not be protected by law because not everyone is accepting of transgender. At one point, she even says, “We should instead be more accepting of the people who aren’t as comfortable with working with people who identify as transgender.” Her argument boils down to the cry of the privileged: “Not everybody is willing to accept the classification,” therefore protections for transgender rights should not be implemented—because laws protecting gender identity force non-trans people to confront the fact that trans people exist and to at least tolerate them, even if it makes them uncomfortable. Oh, no! How horrible, that we would treat marginalized groups as equals! Won’t somebody think of the poor cisgender majority?

I wonder whether Salama would argue with the necessity of legislation protecting the rights of other minorities and disenfranchised groups. Are laws prohibiting discrimination against, for example, African Americans and women unnecessary? The civil rights and feminist movements don’t think so. And what about people with non-heterosexual orientations? Would she agree that LGB individuals, too, do not need legal protection? That we should maintain the homophobic discourse in this country, simply because acceptance makes people uncomfortable? Meanwhile, the Prop 8 case drags on and gay kids are killing themselves.

Salama’s argument reeks of the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell mentality—that because people are uncomfortable and don’t want to face their own prejudices, instead of talking about this we should pretend there is no problem at all. But that’s not how problems are solved. Problems are solved only when they are actually confronted, and pandering to a transphobic population isn’t going to end any kind of discrimination. Therefore, legal protections are necessary, since that is one avenue by which change really does happen.

I could go on and list more of my problems with this piece, but I will end with the admission that Salama actually does make a valid point towards the end of it: Some of the discrimination transgender people face may be due in part to intersectional issues, such as race and class. However, she fails to realize that transgender is in and of itself a target of discrimination—and that she herself is contributing to this problem.