The Personal, being Politicized
Published on: 4/28/23
Author: Alexis Krohn
#TogetherAgainstBias
Things haven’t gotten better since I last wrote, a month ago.
As I watch transgender rights legislated away across the country, watching certain groups of people decide to use a group of people - to use me - as a political stunt factory, I run up against a difficult rule, since we’re a non-profit. We’re not allowed to talk about any specific political party or candidate. But it’s weird, right? Because in this case, the personal is being politicized.
I choose my words carefully. I say not that “the personal is political,” but that “the personal is politicized.” I use that passive voice to indicate that we - people from marginalized groups - are not the ones who are making the personal political. It is thrust upon us by those choosing to score cheap political points by fostering hatred. Surely, the act of resisting hatred, of promoting tolerance and goodwill, is not inherently a political act, though politics may sometimes embrace it. Despite its inclusion in the sacred, “goodwill toward men” is also not inherently sacred. It’s similar, I think, to how music is not itself political or sacred, though it may sometimes be used by the sacred or the political.
And trans rights are not inherently political. They are deeply personal, though they are being politicized by those who would see us scorned, who demonize queer people. And anti-trans views are not religious beliefs, though they are wrapped sometimes in a religious package; as music is sometimes packaged religiously. Anti-trans views are neither religious nor political, they are hatred and bigotry, plain and simple. Pro-trans views are neither religious nor political - they are love.
Anyway. My brain’s been rattled lately by disgusting attacks on trans rights, and honestly, it’s made it harder to get work done. These sorts of laws have effects even on people who don’t live in the states where they’re being passed. It worries me so much about what’s going on in this country, where there are some who feel so free to pass judgment on those they’ve never met, to throw an entire group of people under the bus.
If you want a takeaway, cut your queer colleagues and employees some slack. Many of us - if not most - are simply not going to be as productive for the foreseeable future. We’re worried, and it takes a toll on the mental space you have for work. The most inclusive thing you can do right now is not just putting pronouns in your signature or advocating for all-gender restrooms (though these can help) - it’s bearing witness to and accommodating the lived realities of queer (especially trans and non-binary) people. Remember this for any group when things are happening that may be striking close to home for them.