Trump Child Abuse Proclamation Attacks Transgender People
President Donald Trump uses his April 3 proclamation of National Child Abuse Prevention month to attack transgender people and undocumented immigrants. As reported by The Advocate, Trump claims that “one of the most prevalent forms of child abuse facing our country today is the sinister threat of gender ideology” and proceeds to praise his administration for defunding schools that support trans individuals.
A day later, Trump issues another proclamation announcing Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month that falsely targets immigrants for a rise in sexual violence. The misinformation includes describing an “invasion” of immigrants and false claims that they are a leading cause of assault.
The American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Psychiatric Association as well as all other major medical associations support gender-affirming care. Despite what Trump’s administration states, the safety of gender-affirming care is backed by medical evidence.
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Although the proclamations serve no legal authority, Chase Strangio, an American Civil Liberties Union attorney calls them “vile and upsetting,” understanding how Trump’s harmful words effect societal views.
Strangio takes to Instagram to state “It does not change the law or direct any agency action. But it does continue to suggest that the government is moving towards efforts to explicitly criminalize trans life and support of trans people.”
He continues saying, “It also clearly demonstrates the direct line from attacking families with trans kids to attacking same-sex parent families to attacking alternative family structures. They hate trans people because they hate anyone and anything that deviates from the white heterosexual Christian family structure. We are a symbol of a freedom they loathe.”
These proclamations are another step in Trump’s use of false rhetoric to create further stigmatization of some of the most marginalized communities. Continuously battling these claims with evidence and empathy will help progress the fight against the harmful and false ideas that the administration presents.
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