Hundreds of trans kids’ parents vow to ‘fight like hell’ in letter to Trump and Pence
US President Donald Trump and US Vice President Mike Pence (SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty)
Some 1,500 parents of trans children have penned a letter to “bullies” US president Donald Trump and vice-president Mike Pence, saying they will “fight like hell” to protect their kids.
It comes after a leaked Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) memo, published in The New York Times on October 21, proposed effectively erasing trans people by changing the definition of “sex” as strictly male or female based on “immutable biological traits identifiable by or before birth.”
“We write to express our outrage and deep concern over the Trump-Pence Administration’s proposal to legally define sex as either male or female, unchangeable and based on unscientifically narrow criteria,” the letter reads.
Trans campaigners rally in front of the White House. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty)
“This is the latest cruel attempt in a long line of attacks to diminish the existence and humanity of our children and to dismantle their basic human and civil rights. We want to make this very clear—when our children are under attack, we will fight like hell to protect them.”
Following the leak of the HSS memo, trans campaigners protested outside the White House, Washington DC, and in other cities like Los Angeles.
The letter, published by the Human Rights Campaign, goes on to highlight the increase in reported violence against the trans community, especially trans people of colour, denouncing the two politicians for sowing “hate and fear against our children and transgender people across our country.”
Parents of trans children from all of America’s 50 states signed the document.
“We fear every day that our children will encounter bullies but we never imagined that the most threatening bullies would be in the White House,” the letter continues.
It adds: “These children—all children—deserve to be treated with love, respect and acceptance.
“Our children cannot be reduced to a deeply flawed, debunked understanding of what makes us the people we are. Our children know who they are, and we know what they need.”
The revelation of the memo sparked protests across the US. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty)
The parents went on to vow to vote for change in the US midterm elections on November 6.
“We will vote to secure a nation in which our children can live fully, freely, to their greatest potential. We will vote to save lives—the lives of our children, all transgender and non-binary people, and all vulnerable communities in our nation who your Administration views as secondary and disposable,” the publications states.
“Your White House may hold power now, but our children hold the power of our future. This November, we are voting to protect that future, and together, we will make your hateful agenda a thing of the past.”
