Wed 11/20
It’s not your fault. So many of you tried. Something like 75% of you Ohioans think we should end gerrymandering in Ohio to elect a legislature that represents and reflects all of us. Did any of your friends say to you proudly after the election that they voted “No” on issue 1 in order to end gerrymandering in Ohio not realizing — thanks to the lying language Ohio Secretary of state Frank LaRose put on the ballot — that they were really voting FOR it? Most of us have such friends.
Within a week of the election, our legislature demonstrated yet again why we need to end gerrymandering. It passed a measure requiring transgender students all the way up to college, both public AND private, to only use the restroom corresponding to their birth gender. It’s unlikely they can cite any case of something bad happening when a transgender person uses the bathroom of the gender they identify as, probably because there aren’t any. LBGTQ+ Youth advocacy group Kaleidoscope accurately called the bill “disgusting” and “malicious.”
But “pick on the most vulnerable” seems to be the GOP motto these days. And on November 20, Transgender Day of Remembrance, we should reflect on these bullies, haters and so-called “Christians” going after a group of people who are disproportionately the victims of attacks and violence. Black transgender women in particular are murdered at a rate far out of proportion to other groups. This day memorializes them among others and hopefully lets the trans community know they’re not forgotten. As good way to celebrate the day is to write to your Ohio state representative and senator and let them know how angry you are with their gratuitous cruelty. Find their contact info here and here.
The U.S State Department currently recognizes the day, saying “Each year on November 20, the world recognizes Transgender Day of Remembrance – a day to commemorate the transgender, non-binary, and gender non-conforming persons who are targeted and killed for living authentically and courageously. Trans individuals are a part of every country, every culture, and every faith tradition. The United States honors Transgender Day of Remembrance to affirm the humanity and human rights of transgender persons globally.”
This is still up on the state department website but it will be gone in two months, as the Trump administration’s policymaker, Project 2025, has said it will erase LGBTQ+ people entirely from government entities. Thanks for voting your hate, Ohio.
Transgender Day of Remembrance