Dear John,

Across the country, extremist politicians are driving new legislation forward to create a world where anyone can be questioned and harassed for not fitting into the boxes of “feminine enough” to be a real woman or “manly enough” to be a real man. You don’t have to be trans or nonbinary to know that imposing these policies based on fear of trans people is discrimination that puts us all at risk. Here’s what you need to know:

• States are practicing hate: In states like West Virginia and Georgia, legislators are amending state laws to narrowly define “sex” and reduce all people to body parts, chromosomes, and hormones. These policies will create a mandate to discriminate by enforcing sexist stereotypes and encouraging body policing—especially the bodies of people who are trans, nonbinary, intersex, and people of color.
• The harmful impact: These proposed definitions of “sex” will apply to countless sections of a state’s code, leading to unpredictable effects on health care, insurance, social services, privacy matters, civil rights, education, employment, and more. Students who are trans, nonbinary, and intersex may be categorically denied access to bathrooms, locker rooms, athletic programs, and other educational facilities and programs. Local labor agencies may unlawfully deprive workers who are trans, nonbinary, and intersex support when reporting workplace harassment or discrimination.
• This affects everyone: Any attack on the LGBTQI+ community attacks gender justice. Bills like West Virginia’s HB 5243 and Georgia’s HB 1128 foster environments where all people risk being forced to “prove” their sex, inflicting severe injuries on all persons who do not conform to sex stereotypes and creating new risks that all women and girls will suffer sexual assault. And, any policing of bodies violates people’s privacy and bodily autonomy—especially for Black and brown women and girls who already face increased discrimination and violence and are more likely to be seen as suspiciously “unfeminine” because of racist and sexist stereotypes.
• What we can do: Forward this email to your friends and family (especially in at-risk states like West Virginia and Georgia) to raise awareness of this violent attack on people who are trans, nonbinary, and intersex. More extremist state legislatures have already started introducing their own versions of this dangerous legislation (Alabama, Florida, Arizona), and we expect more to follow! We must stay vigilant and ready to engage when this happens.

The National Women’s Law Center is fighting back against these attacks in West Virginia, Georgia, and state legislatures across the country. Together, we can dismantle the systems that single out trans, nonbinary, intersex, and gender non-conforming individuals for mistreatment, segregation, and inferior status and build a world where we can all thrive as our authentic selves, free from dangerous gender policing.

In solidarity,

Anya Marino
she/her/hers
Director of LGBTQI Equality
National Women's Law Center