How do we talk about gender?  About transness?  How have we talked about it in the past? Words are powerful.  They both carry and shape ideas.  These are some ways in which our words relate to gender things.

• Trans-Cistory: Where do the words "cisgender" and "transgender" come from? Before we had that vocabulary, how did we talk about folks we use those labels for today?  What about the language surrounding other people that fall into the LGBTQIA+ initialism and its variants?   This will link to an extended essay on those topics, elements I've posted elsewhere before.

• What's wrong with the phrase "biological sex" as is commonly used?  This is my essay on the topic and where I'll point to other resources as well.

Trans Stuff, Laws, and Politics

• In the face of rhetoric, bills, and laws aimed at restricting the rights of trans people what do we do?

  1. Stay informed.  There's a bunch of folks I follow on social media, a bunch of sites listed below and on the connected pages that help me stay aware of new developments

  2. Talk to other people about the problems.  Cis people don't listen to trans folks as much as they listen to other cis folks.  But don't misrepresent - elevate trans voices, but if you're cis don't be afraid to speak up when there aren't trans voices in the room. 

  3. People fear "the other".  This isn't getting better until most folks know trans folks and believe that trans folks are just as human as other folks.  If you're trans and able to be visible - great!  If you're not able, surviving is enough.  If you're cis, and can humanize trans folks please do.

  4. Money and time.   Give money to groups fighting in the courts like the ACLU, like Lambda Legal.  Connect with local activist groups and find out what their needs are.  They are going to know how best to approach things on the ground in the areas they operate in.

• I have a detailed timeline with linked sources describing the history of laws and policies as applied to trans people in the U.S.

• Allison Chapman, Alejandra Caraballo, and Erin Reed, have been keeping track of current anti-trans bills from 2023 and 2024. in Google Sheet format 

• This is my table of Current Anti-Trans Laws and pre-2023 Anti-Trans Bills , which in detail goes back to the 2014 anti-trans bathroom legislative attempts, modeled on the Chapman/Caraballo/Reed sheets, with a bit further back as well including a sheet of the expired anti-crossdressing laws. .

• Anti-trans Bills in the U.S. - A Quick Look from late December, 2023.

• I'm assembling a document summarizing what's been going on with Trans Health Care Bans, but it's rather preliminary.

  1. And something really preliminary on the history of gender affirming medical care.

• A similarly in development doc is this one on Trans Sports Bans

  1. And something similarly preliminary on Athletic Performance of Trans Athletes

• I've written an essay/resource on the "Women's Bill of Rights" as a Vector for Anti-Trans Hate

• Where to find Trans Policy News