In this tumultuous era of rapidly shifting policies and laws, Americans are told to obey rules that seem fueled by hate, instead of humanity.
Policies presented as necessary for “public safety,” yet selectively enforced and conveniently ignored by those that implement them. The message becomes = you are expected to follow one rulebook, while I live under another. Nowhere is this hypocrisy more visible than in the ongoing political targeting of transgender Americans.
Where to start?
Name Changes: Our current administration has renamed the Gulf of America, the Department of War, etc. Our own Vice President JD Vance has Legally changed his Name, not once but twice. Yet in recent weeks, the highest-ranking official in the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps was “dead-named” in her own workplace. Admiral Rachel Levine’s official portrait was altered; her legal name removed and replaced with her “birth” name. The message: a trans person’s identity remains insignificant, negotiable or corrected when politically convenient. What makes this even more troubling is the glaring hypocrisy. It depends on who is making the change.
Surgical double standard: a cisgender 16-year-old girl may elect to receive breast implants if she and her parents believe it will improve her quality of life, openly framed as empowering, body-affirming, and beneficial. Yet when a trans teen seeks the same care, lawmakers rush to outlaw and criminalize the very same procedure.
Puberty blockers (GnRH agonists) have been safely and effectively used to pause and un-pause cisgender children's early onset puberty since 1980. Despite being safely used for forty years, allowing young people to grow up healthy, regain fertility, and live full lives. Yet the very same medication used for trans youth, is now portrayed as experimental or harmful. The science has not changed; Only the group receiving the care has.
I can change my name. You cannot.
I can modify my body. You cannot.
I can control my puberty. You cannot.
This is not about safety; it is about selective morality. We are once again in a moment when fear, and prejudice are being weaponized against the LGBTQ community; particularly trans folx. Our policies are being shaped by those who view an entire community as inferior or unworthy of autonomy.
Misty Eyez is a dynamic keynote speaker, educator, and fierce advocate for LGBTQ+ inclusion, known for blending wisdom with wit to transform hearts and minds through authenticity, humor, and unapologetic truth. She currently serves as the Director of three life-changing programs at SunServe, supporting and empowering marginalized communities.
