Donald Trump is using his power as president of the United States to bully trans children. Signing multiple Executive Orders targeting less than 1% of the population, his fragile ego and white supremacist ideology simply cannot abide people being who they are in this world.
His most recent order banning U.S. hospitals from receiving federal dollars if they provide gender-affirming care to anyone under the age of 19 is sure to increase suicide rates among a population that is already at tremendous risk. A hate-filled leader going after the transgender community is not without precedent; trans folks were the first group that Hitler went after when he was elected to power in Germany too. These men share in common a weak skin, access to excessive power and a desire to erase the trans community, among others. We cannot let history repeat itself. Trans folks have always been and will always be here.
I’ve spent the better part of three decades working with young people, and believe me when I say the kids are listening and what they’re hearing is terrifying. They know a man who campaigned on lies filled with bigotry and fear mongering, was elected by adults who clearly do not care about them, and they know he will use his power to attempt to force them into being people they aren’t.
The Trevor Project’s 2023 U.S. National Survey on the Mental Health of LGBTQ Young People found that 41% of queer youth “seriously considered attempting suicide in the past year, including roughly half of transgender and nonbinary youth.” In other words, it’s hard enough to be a trans kid in this country without the man in the highest office in the land actively working to erase you.
Alaska is certainly not immune to political bigotry toward trans kids, with anti-trans bills rearing their head regularly in legislative sessions. The Alaska School Activities Association banned trans girls from playing on girl’s sports teams in 2023. Juneau had our own run in with trans hate when a local man put up threatening signs around town directed at trans kids a couple of years ago. The point is, existing as the truest version of yourself in this world already comes with threats and discrimination — and this administration is actively making it worse and has emboldened those who would hurt trans folks.
If you are lucky enough to know any transgender kids, then you know how magical they are and you know for sure that they pose no threat. It is a gift to be around young people who know who they are — and trans kids are some of the most insightful humans I’ve met in this regard. I would argue that their ability to know who they are comes with a willingness to be accepting and caring of others and makes the world a better and safer place for all kids. Of course, this is what makes them a target for bullies who have no idea how to access the truest part of themselves and are threatened by those who do.
Listen, please show up for our trans kids. See them, celebrate them, speak up for and with them, it is on us adults to protect them from these cruel attacks and literally keep them alive. So, when they tell you who they are and what they need, believe them. This is it friends, in the ever appropriate words of Mary Oliver, this is your “one wild and precious life,” and in the midst of it, the most powerful person in the world is bullying trans kids. What will you do to show up for these precious young people? What will you tell your grandchildren when they ask you what you did during this time? I implore you to fight for them and if you are a trans person of any age reading this — please know you are loved, you belong here, and you are not alone.
Lastly, the Trevor Project offers 24/7 crisis support. Text 678-678, call 866-488-7386, or call the national suicide hotline by dialing 988.
Jorden Nigro has worked professionally with youth in various capacities in Juneau since 1999. She is a lifelong Alaskan.
