*March 31 is International Transgender Day of Visibility this year.  Given the many attacks on transgender rights, we urge our Societies and individual members to recognize March 31, in the spirit of our long tradition of supporting human rights in general, and our history of supporting Transgender rights as part of LGBTQ+ rights.  You can promote this statement by the American Ethical Union, or use parts of it to write letters to the editor or do your own publicity.

The American Ethical Union (AEU) condemns the legislative assault on the rights of transgender, non-binary, and intersex people and their families in states across our country. 

Disingenuous legislators seek to prevent crucial gender-affirming care. Such care is needed and causes no harm. Promoters of this legislation lack integrity and are indifferent to the suffering caused by bigotry.  Danica Roem, who is transgender and serves as a Virginia state delegate, described right-wing zealots as “trying to be as inflammatory as possible because they think it’s in their self-interest. They don’t really care if they have to target their own constituents and hurt children and exploit children for a political gain.” 

Accelerating since 2021, an organized effort by anti-LGBTQIA+ and political groups has resulted in a record-setting number of proposed bills targeting transgender, non-binary, and intersex people. Some have passed. More than 200 such bills were introduced in 2022, and more than 150 already in 2023.

Texas is one battleground, with Governor Greg Abbott and State Attorney General Ken Paxton falsely  calling gender-affirming surgery “child abuse.” The Governor called on doctors and teachers to report parents who offer their children such care.  

This attack on the rights and dignity of an already-marginalized minority uses state power to dictate to parents what medical treatments they can offer their children. Emmett Schelling, Executive Director for the Transgender Education Network of Texas, said that transphobic state politicians “would rather see dead children . . . instead of happy, loved, supported, thriving trans kids that are alive and well.”

These bills contradict both ethical ideals and proven science. The American Medical Association urged governors to oppose state laws banning gender transition-related care. The American Academy of Pediatrics declared its support for gender-affirming care for transgender youth.  

Hundreds of other organizations have condemned these transphobic bills, including the Anti-Defamation League, Catholics for Choice, American Atheists, Center for American Progress, Children’s Advocacy Alliance, GLAAD, GLSEN, Lambda, National Black Justice Coalition, National LGBT Bar Association, National Organization for Women, National Women’s Law Center, People For the American Way, and Planned Parenthood Action Fund.

The American Ethical Union stands with these organizations and embraces all people who identify as beyond the gender binary. We commit to honoring the inherent worth of every person. Trans, non-binary, and intersex people are members of our congregations, members of our family, and members of our clergy, and we love and support them. 

The AEU has supported the rights of LGBTQIA+ people numerous times, including in 2010 (Reaffirming Support for Equal Rights for Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual, Transgender, and Queer People), 2004 (Same-Sex Marriage), and 1996 (Legalization of Gay Marriage). We call on all Ethical Societies and their members to continue to support the rights of all Americans by protecting them from those who seek to score political points at the expense of the health of trans, non-binary, and intersex people.