Just days ago The New York Times reported that “[t]he Trump administration is considering narrowly defining gender as a biological, immutable condition determined by genitalia at birth.”

Additionally, in Massachusetts, there is an effort to repeal the 2016 law that enacted protection for trans people to use public restrooms that align with their gender identity.

These aren’t the only two instances of transphobia and gender discrimination in our country, but as someone who identifies as trans non-binary, and is, therefore, a member of the trans community, I feel like I am being suffocated on all sides.

It is hard enough for the trans community to be recognized appropriately as the gender we identify with; now we have the Department of Health and Human Services openly trying to squash the existence of 1.4 million human beings in the United States.

I, along with countless others, am both enraged and exhausted by the efforts made in the last two years under the Trump administration to wipe the trans community from out of our country.

This and other kinds of discrimination are not exclusive to the government’s actions and attitudes against the trans community nationwide.

I and others at Saint A’s have been witness to instances on campus that made trans individuals such as myself uncomfortable and unsupported by some at this college.

While I have an outstanding support system on campus that includes professors, faculty, and students, I have also been approached with unsolicited attempts to explain to me how my identity is not real.

I understand that older generations have a more difficult time in understanding the trans community.

I understand, and I understand, and I understand, but frankly, a lot of this understanding can be exhausting when it means you have to sit through discussions where people openly refuse to accept who you are as a person.

The only thing that I have the energy to say is to ask for the continued support of allies in the upcoming elections. If you live in Massachusetts, vote for the continued protection of the trans community’s right to be who they are in this country.

On a larger scale, vote for those who will fight for the right for the trans community; and thank you for your support.