Posting of Japanese Exclusion Order (No. 17, dated April 24, 1942), Seattle, 1942. Social Trends in Seattle Vol 14 (Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1944)
Be clear. The President’s dehumanization of immigrants and transgender people is extremely serious. If left unchecked, this administration will take this dehumanization as far as it desires. It is on every single one of us to speak up to our representatives and in our communities to say no. Don’t be complicit.
History is a playbook for those looking to dominate. It is also a tragic catalog of lessons we don’t retain from generation to generation. If we fail to listen to those being persecuted today, we are doomed to relive past suffering at the hands of the people best positioned to exploit us.
I believe, inherently, more people are ‘good’ than ‘bad’. We could debate what makes someone ‘good’; but in general, I suspect you don’t want to hurt other people. But, my friends, people are being hurt. It is happening before our very eyes.
To speak up against those in power is to risk your anonymity — to potentially place yourself on the radar of those aiming to harm. Survival instincts preclude us from doing that. Typically, it’s only when our skin is on the line (or the skin of someone we care about) that we are compelled to fight back.
Enter what I call ‘the waiting reflex’. Waiting for the ‘good guys’ to fix this. Waiting for folks crazed by power to come to their senses. Waiting in disbelief, saying, “No, surely they cannot do that, can they? Isn’t that unconstitutional? Who will stop it? Someone should stop this.”
Americans waited as their Japanese neighbors were hastily swept into internment camps in 1942. Their businesses were shuttered and their homes abandoned, practically overnight. Do not wait.
It’s hard to think like a sociopath when you are not a sociopath. A nationalist. A white supremacist. A fascist. An overt racist. A bigot, disgusted by anyone not like themselves. Indeed, you will not be able to and will be stunned, even disgusted, by every step they take. Because you, dear reader, are not those things. You cannot imagine thinking another human’s life is negotiable.
Be clear. The president has written executive orders that explicitly say transgender people do not exist. But they do. Attempting to wipe out the existence of an entire population of humans, on paper and in policy, should be scary to all of us.
They are promising mass deportation of immigrants, explicitly stating that immigrants are “poisoning the blood” of the U.S.
Our economy cannot function without immigrants. It would function better without billionaires.
Many transgender people and immigrants are fearful that this administration will start to ‘round up’ gender-diverse people and immigrants and imprison them. Marco Rubio is seeing to that possibility as we speak.
These fears are being minimized right now, and folks who talk about them are being accused of hysteria. But friends, it is intentional and systematic, and it has happened before. Humans have committed genocide again and again. The foundation of another one has been building steadily over the last few decades.
1) Transgender people have been painted as ‘not real’ or as ‘sick’ people.
2) The right-wing media has overfocused on detransition narratives — which, while individually valid, do not cancel out the experiences of thousands who do not detransition. We are fed particular narratives to uphold particular agendas.
3) The right-wing media has overfocused on immigrants as criminals, using the very few cases that actually happened as a reason to discount the myriad of ways in which immigrants help us, make us better, and even hold America together.
4) Transgender people have been branded by this administration and its voter base as a threat to American children and the future of America.
5) Immigrants have been branded as a threat to our moms, our daughters, and our jobs.
Folks are being forced to detransition through the removal of medical care, reversal of gender marker changes on documents, and threats to their psychological and physical safety. And yes, there is fear that transgender folks will be criminalized, placed into camps, and forced to ‘come to their senses’. It won’t be the first time.
It is now considered fair game by opportunists to discriminate against transgender individuals and immigrants. It is not legal, as those executive orders are, in fact, illegal. But those emboldened to act, fully aware of the gaping hole Trump has blown through our judicial system, will act. And the people affected may or may not have the funds and support to sue those who violate their rights under the guise of illegal executive orders.
Be clear. I am now very aware that every time I let my transgender spouse out of my sight, I have to hope for the best and prepare for the worst. I now find myself sweating when I do not hear from certain friends who are people of color. And my stomach is in knots for the transgender youth in my life. These lovely children do not deserve this.
Be clear. There is ample historical precedent for these fears. Genocide and prejudice are a distinct piece of our domestic history.
During WWII, Roosevelt succumbed to pressure from his staff and anti-Japanese sentiment from the public and signed Executive Order 9066, “which directed the War Department to create ‘military areas’ that anyone could be excluded from for essentially any reason.” The entire west coast was declared a military area. It happened right here.
Japanese Americans — roughly two-thirds of whom were American citizens born and raised here — were forced to leave their homes, businesses, properties, and belongings to live in camps for the duration of the war. They were given a few days’ notice. “The government cited national security as justification for this policy, although it violated many of the most essential constitutional rights of Japanese Americans.” They were housed in horse stalls and eventually in barracks-style, poorly insulated shelters — some for three years or more — until the war ended. And do you think they got their possessions or homes back? No. Those were sold, auctioned off, and stolen.
How can you help? Find out who your elected officials are. Get to know their names and faces. Go to their town halls. Go to their offices at the Capitol or in your state. Don’t reelect people who look the other way while any of us are being loudly persecuted. Don’t be quiet, and don’t quiet your transgender and immigrant friends.
Be clear. Listen. Elevate the concerns! Raise conversations. Say no. None of this is okay.
Tanya retired after 20+ years in healthcare to help people accessibly release trauma from their bodies. You can find her at https://www.facebook.com/theheartopens.7
