That’s a really easy call to make when you’re not the one experiencing these things. The foster care system is fucked up too, and is also a place trans kids, and, well, frankly, kids in general are horribly abused under. The trans kids in shitty homes don’t care whether or not you “feel bad for them” if they can’t live through the abuse long enough to become adults. I’m one of the “lucky” ones. Ever think about why the average elder (more than 7 years of transition) trans person is capable of putting up with so much bullshit? Because the ones of us who weren’t able to are dead already. 40% of trans people attempt suicide.
To quote Martin Luther King Jr. in his Letter from Birmingham Jail:
“First, I must confess that over the past few years I have been gravely disappointed with the white moderate. I have almost reached the regrettable conclusion that the Negro’s great stumbling block in his stride toward freedom is not the White Citizen’s Counciler or the Ku Klux Klanner, but the white moderate, who is more devoted to “order” than to justice; who prefers a negative peace which is the absence of tension to a positive peace which is the presence of justice; who constantly says: “I agree with you in the goal you seek, but I cannot agree with your methods of direct action”; who paternalistically believes he can set the timetable for another man’s freedom; who lives by a mythical concept of time and who constantly advises the Negro to wait for a “more convenient season.” Shallow understanding from people of good will is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will. Lukewarm acceptance is much more bewildering than outright rejection.”
You’re comparing apples to oranges. King was talking about moderates who were vacillating over supporting civil rights out of fear of tension, not kids in the foster care system. I’m 100% for updating the Civil Rights Act to say you can’t discriminate against trans people, period, and automatically invalidating all the insane laws out here.
What we’re talking about is pulling kids out of homes. And the evidence on that is clear: Bad homes are better than foster care. I’m sorry that your childhood sucked, but statistically speaking, your life statistically would not have been any better if you had left home, and may have actually been worse. Yes, it should obviously still be an option in extreme situations, but your proposal that such a thing should be implemented when the evidence shows that it will cause more harm is not a viable solution to the problem. All it will do is put more stress on an already broken system.
Sure, magically if we could make the foster system perfect tomorrow, and magically could fix all the laws tomorrow, then maybe it would make sense. But if we had that sort of magic, we could magically fix shitty parents, too.
I did leave home. My parents kicked me out of the house, but friends allowed me to stay with them. That’s the only reason I survived. If you read my article, I advocate primarily for direct action and tangible things you can do to help us. The comparison I draw from the quote I gave you is about your idea that we just need to wait a few years. We just need to go through a few more election cycles, and everything will be fixed.
I think that’s ridiculous. We can take action now.
If you have a trans friend that’s about to be homeless, or hell, any friend who is about to be homeless, you can let them sleep on your couch.
If Moms for Liberty or other fascist groups are coming to your local school board meeting (they are, I promise you), you should go over there and speak in support.
If fascists are threatening queer people at the local drag show, you should show up with your friends and stand up for what is right, because the police won’t. In fact, they’re most likely there out of uniform.
Vote for democrats if you want. I don’t care. I do harm reduction voting too. But it’s not enough, and I’m just begging allies to care enough to show up in real life where it matters. If you read my call to action, I say exactly this.
That’s a really easy call to make when you’re not the one experiencing these things. The foster care system is fucked up too, and is also a place trans kids, and, well, frankly, kids in general are horribly abused under. The trans kids in shitty homes don’t care whether or not you “feel bad for them” if they can’t live through the abuse long enough to become adults. I’m one of the “lucky” ones. Ever think about why the average elder (more than 7 years of transition) trans person is capable of putting up with so much bullshit? Because the ones of us who weren’t able to are dead already. 40% of trans people attempt suicide.
To quote Martin Luther King Jr. in his Letter from Birmingham Jail:
“First, I must confess that over the past few years I have been gravely disappointed with the white moderate. I have almost reached the regrettable conclusion that the Negro’s great stumbling block in his stride toward freedom is not the White Citizen’s Counciler or the Ku Klux Klanner, but the white moderate, who is more devoted to “order” than to justice; who prefers a negative peace which is the absence of tension to a positive peace which is the presence of justice; who constantly says: “I agree with you in the goal you seek, but I cannot agree with your methods of direct action”; who paternalistically believes he can set the timetable for another man’s freedom; who lives by a mythical concept of time and who constantly advises the Negro to wait for a “more convenient season.” Shallow understanding from people of good will is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will. Lukewarm acceptance is much more bewildering than outright rejection.”
You’re comparing apples to oranges. King was talking about moderates who were vacillating over supporting civil rights out of fear of tension, not kids in the foster care system. I’m 100% for updating the Civil Rights Act to say you can’t discriminate against trans people, period, and automatically invalidating all the insane laws out here.
What we’re talking about is pulling kids out of homes. And the evidence on that is clear: Bad homes are better than foster care. I’m sorry that your childhood sucked, but statistically speaking, your life statistically would not have been any better if you had left home, and may have actually been worse. Yes, it should obviously still be an option in extreme situations, but your proposal that such a thing should be implemented when the evidence shows that it will cause more harm is not a viable solution to the problem. All it will do is put more stress on an already broken system.
Sure, magically if we could make the foster system perfect tomorrow, and magically could fix all the laws tomorrow, then maybe it would make sense. But if we had that sort of magic, we could magically fix shitty parents, too.
I did leave home. My parents kicked me out of the house, but friends allowed me to stay with them. That’s the only reason I survived. If you read my article, I advocate primarily for direct action and tangible things you can do to help us. The comparison I draw from the quote I gave you is about your idea that we just need to wait a few years. We just need to go through a few more election cycles, and everything will be fixed.
I think that’s ridiculous. We can take action now.
If you have a trans friend that’s about to be homeless, or hell, any friend who is about to be homeless, you can let them sleep on your couch.
If Moms for Liberty or other fascist groups are coming to your local school board meeting (they are, I promise you), you should go over there and speak in support.
If fascists are threatening queer people at the local drag show, you should show up with your friends and stand up for what is right, because the police won’t. In fact, they’re most likely there out of uniform.
Vote for democrats if you want. I don’t care. I do harm reduction voting too. But it’s not enough, and I’m just begging allies to care enough to show up in real life where it matters. If you read my call to action, I say exactly this.