Long Ways to Go

Looking around, I get this nagging feeling that the world is hellbent on taking reverse strides. Just as we come together to fight long drawn social battles, we find ourselves teetering between hard-fought, deserving victories and frustrating stalemates. The latest being the most astonishing stalemate and pushback on LGBTQ+ rights across the country. Our current government’s efforts to literally throw the term ‘transgender’ out of existence by corroding protections for transgender students and workers, and removing access to gender-affirming health care, clearly shows that the euphoria over marriage equality in 2015 may have been very premature.

Growing up in a liberal California, the government has taken progressive steps in protecting LGBTQ+ students by preventing schools from outing their students’ sexualities to parents and other authorities without consent. These are moves that have prioritized safety, respect, and young children’s autonomy; however, the intensity of these developments has left many stunned.

I wonder what the long-term consequences of restricting LGBTQ+ rights will be... blocking discussions in classrooms, banning gender-affirming care for minors, executing efforts to remove books featuring LGBTQ+ stories, and having an official declaration of two official genders. Are we just going to wish them away at our will? Whatever happened to respecting diversity and being more inclusive? Wasn’t that making us a better and a more tolerant society? Unfortunately, we have long ways to go, and instead of further taking steps towards building a more compassionate and inclusive society, we are moving towards more hatred and bigotry. What would the benefit be of stripping people of rights that once seemed forever secured and guaranteed?– that is in the long-term, the biggest question should be acknowledged by society.

In several states across the country, legislation has been enacted restricting particularly the rights of transgender individuals, and these laws have taken major shots, especially affecting minors of all ages and backgrounds. For example, as of March 2025, 27/50 states have officially implemented policies that limit the youth population’s access to gender-affirming care, which has impacted around 40% of all transgender youth. Especially in more extreme states such as Alabama, policymakers have advanced bills to expand the state’s recently taken-up saying, “Don’t Say Gay” law, which essentially aims to shut down discussions surrounding sexual orientation and gender identity all the way through the eighth grade.

What's even more worrisome was that a country known to be the protector of democracy, took away the right of a section of our community without any notice! What precedent are we setting for the world? most importantly, the decision will shape the constant lived experiences of our country’s youth today, in ways that can have traumatizing and devastating consequences. What happened to the medical fraternity who should know better. Weren’t they the ones who educated the world on the fact that  children must be nourished and raised in an environment where they feel loved, supported  and secure? These laws send out a dangerous message to children struggling with their sexual identity. Imagine growing up in a society that has prejudged you as being  inappropriate, controversial, and dishonorable. So much so that you cannot be patriotic and defend your country!

What does this mean for our collective future? Are we going to bring up a  generation spiked with groups of children who grow up feeling unsure, unseen, unsafe, and unheard. Are children now going to be forced to assume identities they struggle to resonate with.  What makes the binary approach to gender better than a more inclusive one? For this to come at a time when the revered Pope Francis proclaimed that Catholic Church is open to everyone, including the gay community, and that it has a duty to accompany them on a personal path of spirituality but within the framework of its rules, shouldn’t we have adopted a more open-minded approach? He said, “ministers in the Church had to accompany all people, including those not conforming to the rules, with the patience and love of a mother”. A mother does not discriminate.

The support for the LGBTQ+ community was a huge step forward in creating a just, equitable, and compassionate society. They call it basic human right which says that “Every individual deserves respect, dignity, and equal treatment under the law, regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity, or expression”. We ignored all that to opt for prejudice.

“Solidarity Is Not an Option but a Duty and the cornerstone of progress” said  Archbishop Silvano M. Tomasi at the 26th Session of the Human Rights Council "Independent Expert on Human Rights and International Solidarity" -2014. Instead of educating the see the community as threat to their "traditional values", we fanned their insecurities and exploited their fears through distorted claims about medical practices I the guise of protecting children.

Let’s not overlook the role of the Social Media companies that  intensified polarizing content. Their speed and expanded reach outpaced all fact-checking. It a lesson for society to stay vigilant and alert. Complacence in a world dictated by the digital ecosystem will cost the world. it also teaches us that our communities at best are work in progress and social advancement cannot be taken for granted.