Of all the people justifiably living in fear of the incoming Trump administration, there is one group that stands out for its vulnerability and, to quote the late Tony Campolo, you don’t give a damn.
Campolo was famous for the sermon illustration in which he reported the number of starving children in the world and then declared, “But you don’t give a damn!” Then he paused and added: “And you’re more concerned that I just said ‘damn’ than you are about the starving children.”
This is where we stand with the transgender community, only it’s really worse. Not only do most of you reading this column not give a damn about transgender people, you silently think there’s something wrong with them and they probably deserve the treatment they’re receiving. You’ve been swayed by the bullshit about men dressed as women competing in athletics or the fearmongering about men in women’s restrooms.
Mark Wingfield
As horrible as Trump’s intents are for migrants and women and Democrats and all his various enemies, at least they all have staunch allies to defend them. The transgender community has few allies. Even in “progressive” circles, it’s still socially acceptable to deny the existence of trans folk — or to just look the other way.
MAGA world has promoted the lie that having compassion for transgender people is simply “woke” nonsense and that liberals have pushed the agenda too far. I’ve heard this very argument expressed by my own friends who don’t have any transgender friends.
Here’s how I know most of our BNG readers either don’t care or have succumbed to compassion fatigue: The readership of every article we publish about protecting the rights of transgender people gets smaller and smaller. My 2016 opinion piece on seeking to understand transgender people remains the most-read piece ever on our site — amassing a million views across various platforms. More recent articles get red by a couple hundred people at best.
“Whatever slumber you all are in, it’s time to wake up.”
Whatever slumber you all are in, it’s time to wake up. Real people are in danger. Families are in danger. Lives are at stake.
The evangelical community has led the way in scapegoating trans people as the embodiment of everything that’s wrong with modern liberalism. Conservative politicians have picked up the song to attract votes, and more moderate and liberal politicians have let them get away with it.
Now we have Donald Trump pledging on his first day in office he will “end the transgender lunacy.”
This is a pledge predicated on a lie. Transgender identity is not “lunacy.” It is life-or-death reality. No one wakes up one day and decides they’re going to pretend to be transgender.
Alarmingly, national polling shows American attitudes toward transgender people are swinging toward rejection rather than acceptance. Whatever gains we made for inclusion six to eight years ago have been wiped out. And even among those who want to protect transgender Americans, few are willing to stand up and speak out against the attacks.
In this year’s election cycle, Republicans spent nearly $215 million on TV ads attacking trans rights — $134 per trans person in anti-trans ad spending.
According to researchers who track this stuff, Trump spent more money on anti-trans ads than what he spent combined on ads about housing, immigration and the economy. And he got away with it. It worked.
“As someone who is not transgender, I am begging you to pay attention.”
The transgender community accounts for less than 1% of the U.S. population, which makes them an easy and “safe” target for persecution. But these are real people from real families.
Taking away their rights, taking away their health care, shaming them, scapegoating them — this is truly a death sentence. And if you gave a damn, you would speak up for them.
Whatever you think you know about transgender people is probably wrong if you don’t actually know any transgender people. If you heard their stories, you would know they are sincere. They do not seek attention; it’s only the people attacking them who seek attention.
Here’s the main thing I want to impart for now: Transgender identity is real. It is authentic. You do not have to understand it to accept it. And even if you won’t accept it, what harm is there in letting other people live peacefully and in good health? How does the existence of transgender people threaten you other than challenging your too-small view of the world?
As someone who is not transgender, I am begging you to pay attention, to get educated, to stand up and speak out for one of the most vulnerable minority groups in our society. And I am certain of this one thing: If Jesus were walking among us physically today, he would be eating dinner with some trans folks, and our modern-day scribes and Pharisees would be losing their minds over it.
Mark Wingfield serves as executive director and publisher of Baptist News Global. He is the author of Honestly: Telling the Truth About the Bible and Ourselves and Why Churches Need to Talk About Sexuality. His brand-new book is Troubling the Truth and Other Tales from the News.
For further reading:
TEDx Talk: The Baptist pastor and his transgender friends
Supreme Court hears arguments on transgender rights as cultural battles multiply
Seven things I’m learning about transgender persons | Opinion by Mark Wingfield
Why being transgender is not a sin | Opinion by Mark Wingfield
It’s harder to be trans in America today than it was eight years ago, Wingfield says
The transgender obsession | Opinion by Martin Thielen
Focus on the Family affiliate is the unifying force behind campaign to restrict transgender rights