Lisa Salazar's Posts

It’s a Sleight of hand. Many arguments against trans people work by leaving out important information. This trick is called an ‘enthymeme.’ An enthymeme is when someone makes an argument but leaves out a key idea, and the listener fills in the blank without even realizing it. This works because some words, like ‘children,’ ‘parents,’ ‘women,’ ‘safety,’ and ‘fairness,’ already make people feel a certain way. These words can make people agree with an argument before they even know what it is really about. A recent  study  in Canada found that phrases like ‘protecting children,’ ‘parental rights,’ and ‘gender ideology’ are used to make rules against trans people sound like they are just protecting others, even before it is shown that trans people are a problem. Here are some of the most important enthymemes I see operating now. Once you start listening for them, these missing premises show up everywhere. You can see many of these tricks in how politicians talk today. For example,...

  I am reminded of my own experience as a transgender woman who grew up in a time when this kind of understanding and support simply did not exist. As a baby boomer, I spent decades living without a framework to comprehend my feelings, let alone access to any solutions. It was a life of suppression and repression, one that came with profound costs to my mental health. Yet, ironically, I would not change a thing. The fact that I survived and delayed my transition allowed me to father three amazing boys who have grown up to be wonderful human beings. For me, this journey, though fraught with challenges, also came with blessings I cherish deeply. And yet, here we are today—in a time when science and understanding about gender-affirming care have advanced—facing lawmakers who completely dismiss the evidence. We have grown weary of conservative leaders ignoring the data, dehumanizing trans youth, and leveraging fear and ignorance to strip away essential care. The hypocrisy is exhausting...

  “Historic wave of anti-trans bills focuses almost entirely on trans youth.” — npr.org For context, there are three times as many disabled persons in wheelchairs than there are trans persons (1% vs. .3% of the population), yet no one would ever think of passing laws targetting disabled persons. Why is it okay to target trans persons? Wouldn’t you be outraged and scandalized if GOP lawmakers went after disabled persons? For example, imagine these kinds of laws: Education Censorship:  No class discussion, instruction, or acknowledgment of the rights of disabled persons or that they exist Library Book Bans:  Remove all reading materials that include portrayals of disabled persons or use inclusive and explicit language about disabled persons Restroom Restriction:  No special accommodation Sports exclusion:  Disabled youth are only allowed to watch from the sidelines  Religious exemptions:  Anyone can refuse to treat, care for or provide services, includin...