What will be the impact in Auburn?

As January came to a close, I went to bed with the news of a transgender veteran who had taken his own life in the parking lot of a VA hospital, wearing a transgender flag. I was sick.

The president of our country has orchestrated an assault on transgender people, seeking to restrict their ability to travel, seek medical care, be called by their name, attend and participate in schools and public life safely — really to just wipe them from recognition in our society. We’re talking about human beings just seeking to live their lives. I am unable to think of one way in which a transgender person impacts my life negatively.

Why does a political leader single out a group that represents less than 1% of the total population? It’s done to demonstrate control over, in preparation for exerting control over other groups. Efforts to suppress other groups are in progress — the elimination of tax deductions for single parents, disappearing supports for persons with disabilities, restrictions on women’s access to birth control, elimination of birthright citizenship…Which one will impact you?

Further, this assault doesn’t serve to address the supposed economic priorities of this administration — it certainly doesn’t “bring down the price of eggs.” Rallying followers behind a false enemy does, though, distract from the real economic goals of this team — to increase the wealth of the riches people and corporations in our country.

What can you do? Call your local and national representatives and ask them to stop the government’s efforts to cruelly hurt these citizens. Donate to the Human Rights Campaign or the ACLU, groups actively fighting these battles. At minimum, watch your language and your heart to mediate how you impact our community right here in Auburn.

Vicki Bates, Auburn