Editorial: The importance of Trans Awareness

The conversation regarding transgender individuals has been a hot topic in recent years. With numerous celebrities coming forward and shedding new light on a previously largely undiscussed topic, binary people are slowly coming around to the idea that trans lives matter.

Here on USD’s campus, in honor of Trans Awareness Week, Spectrum – USD’s Gender and Sexuality Alliance –  is putting on several on-campus events to put the spotlight on transgender issues. On Tuesday night, Spectrum invited students to assist in putting small trans flags in the ground on the North lawn of Old Main to remember transgender victims of violent hate crimes.

Awareness of trans issues is something that ought to be on the minds of everyone. Trans issues are human issues and in today’s political climate this conversation is more relevant than ever.

According to TransEquality.org, “since the beginning of 2018 10 states have introduced 21 anti-trans bills, and 2 states are considering anti-trans ballot initiatives.”

These bills include legislation that would restrict the use of bathrooms trans people can use, bills that restrict trans people’s healthcare, bills that limit transgender people’s ability to update their identity documents – like their driver’s licenses and birth certificates.

Trans people are just that: people.

While having a week dedicated to raising awareness of issues within the trans community is great, the fact of the matter is that what needs to happen more than anything is acceptance. We are lucky to be on a campus like USD – one that cares about diversity and inclusion and acceptance.

We are on a campus full of people who care.

Having an organization such as Spectrum promoting Trans Awareness Week is an advantage to our campus. Being somewhere that promotes acceptance and awareness such as this shows that USD is making progress that some campuses across the country have yet to make. It’s incredibly easy not to concern oneself with the struggles of groups we do not belong to – however, that does not mean that their issues are not important or in need of examination.

The fact of the matter is that visibility for trans people is necessary to widespread acceptance. It’s important to remember those who have struggled and even died for the chance to be who they really are to remind everyone that regardless of gender we are all people and we all deserve basic human rights.