Numbers of anti-trans bills have skyrocketed in 2021 as the transgender community and advocates fight for their right to exist.
PHOENIX — Transgender people exist and have always existed.
The right to exist is not something many of us think about on a daily basis, but for transgender Americans, it is something they fight for every day of their lives.
“It’s just a core, human, gut feeling of being outnumbered,” said Tucson mom Liz Caraballo as she reflects on the more than 70 anti-trans bills introduced just this year.
Her 14-year-old Juniper is transgender and identifies as non-binary, used to describe someone who experiences a gender identity that is neither exclusively male or female or is in between or beyond both genders. In 2021, 65 Republican-sponsored bills specifically target trans youth.
“There is a lot of fear that comes with how our community is stigmatized. It feels awful that so many people are willing to say awful things and blatantly say no to acknowledging us,” said Juniper. “I would hate for my own children to have to go through the stuff I’ve had to go through in my short 14 years of life.”
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