Transgender history month passed in California
On Sept. 7 2023 California became the first state in the nation to pass a law instating Transgender History Month beginning Aug. 2024. The bill was introduced by Matt Haney, an assemblyman of the 17th Californian district, on Aug. 29 of this year. The law text begins by acknowledging the Native peoples of the land and their historical ties to gender diversity that was then suppressed by the invading Spanish colonizers. It also acknowledges different trans cultures, groups, and individuals who have worked to advance progressive action in California through various political, cultural, and academic avenues, arguing that it only seems right to dedicate time to more consciously addressing those who came before us and the opportunities and enrichment they have provided to us as a nation amid increasing anti-trans rhetoric.
This new legislation sets a fascinating precedent that will put pressure on other states to follow suit in light of increasing hostility towards trans people in America. Activism and visibility for trans persons has been hailed by California for many years, from Compton’s Cafeteria Riot—one of the inspirations for Stonewall—to the Trans District in San Francisco that was legislatively established in 2017. Honey Mahogany, the district’s co-founder, expresses hope that focusing on the history of gender and transgender around the world and in more historical cultures, misinformation and fear mongering around trans identities with decrease in the nation, and by proxy, violence towards trans people in America, as well as around the world.
This legislation was put forward as a response to this increasing hostility towards transgender individuals by groups such as Protect Kids, who have been pushing to get ballot initiatives passed that would forcibly out and deny the identities of trans youth by preventing assigned-male-at-birth individuals from participating in women’s sports, making schools disclose gender selections to the student’s parents, and stopping minors from having access to gender-affirming healthcare.
Though the optimistic populations might hope that hateful instances are isolated, data shows otherwise. As of 2020, there were 17 separate bills which aimed at limiting the rights and abilities of transgender and gender-nonconforming people proposed in 13 separate states. This shows an alarming precedent for legislative violence against trans people in this country which reduces feelings of safety and acceptance, discouraging those around us from being their most authentic selves and having the potential to perpetuate feelings of dysphoria or other mental health complications that result from not being able to publicly adopt one’s gender.
While this is just a small and largely symbolic step in the fight for gender rights and equality, it goes to show that bigoted or anti-trans rhetoric is not endorsed by every state, and that some are willing to openly show support for our trans siblings at a time when it is most pertinent.
Education has always been explicitly tied to visibility and understanding for all people around the world. This piece of legislation, though just a beginning, does well to be a light on the horizon for trans and gender-nonconforming individuals all across the country. With transgender people having higher risks of hate crimes, poverty, and housing insecurity than any other LGBTQ+ group. This law is hopefully just the start of a countermovement that unabashedly shows support for our fellow transgender community members and further works to establish the basis for equality in all mediums in this nation and, hopefully worldwide.