The United States of America: One of the only developed countries who prevents people from being themselves, and how this adversely affects the minorities & those who come from a low socioeconomic background.
In January of 2020, The Trump Administration revoked the newly found Obama-era rights for Transgender people in healthcare, there is an extensive list of revised/removed laws, but some of the most important results in it being possible to be turned away from procedures including a test for COVID-19, just for being transgender. It was even proposed (Though not yet implemented) to allow homeless shelters to take gender identity into account when accepting people in through their doors. Additionally, transgender people may no longer serve in the military, unless in their original sex assignment.
Why strip away people's rights?
As said by a senior attorney for Lambda Legal: “This rule change serves no other purpose than to target and discriminate against LGBTQ people. The cruelty is the point.” To be honest, I can’t disagree, It’s not just the removal of aid for transgender people, it’s their removal from aid which should be seen as a basic human right. That in itself says enough. So, it’s not an extra leg-up that’s been kicked to the side, transgender people have just been kicked instead. In the US, half of those who identify as trans, have attempted suicide, and a majority have been diagnosed with depression at one point or another in their life. Surely society should take responsibility and assist those who have finally discovered who they are as a person.
How Discrimination Discriminates.
In the States, like anywhere else on the planet, money talks. If you can pay for it, the probability is you can have it. However, this results in your wallet defining if you can show the world who you identify as. Due to the segregation & hatred of the past, this results in black communities & other minorities being affected in a greater way, as it is fundamentally harder for minorities to break out of poverty & move up the social ladder. By removing a safety net & assistance for trans people, you’re taking away the equity which resolves the ill-justice of yesteryear. For one of the most powerful countries on Earth, it shouldn’t be too much to ask for the government to lend a hand to those who need it most. It shouldn’t be a privilege to feel comfortable in your body, it should be a right. The US spends the most per person on healthcare, yet yields lower average health than most developed countries. The issue of free healthcare isn’t what we’re focusing on right now, but it’s impossible to deny that the lack of it in the US results in magnified discrimination by outpricing those who have historically been oppressed into lower positions. Gender reassignment surgery in the US costs over $100,000, which clearly prevents many from being comfortable in their own skin. Something to note is that black households make only about 60-70% of their white counterparts in the States.
The Results of Hate.
In some communities where the simple identification of being trans is frowned upon, this push by the government to marginalise them has led to a decrease in mental health as there is now not even state support for the trans community.
This doesn’t have to be the situation over a million Americans live with, you can help by donating to charities which support healthcare for the LGBTQI community, & campaign for this discrimination to end. Our world shouldn’t be heading backwards, it should be progressing to be a more equal, fair place to be.
Author: Matthew Minnis
27/06/20
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