Throughout the United States and across much of the rest of the world, June marks Pride Month, giving the opportunity for the LGBTQ+ community to celebrate their identity. But this year, that celebration is getting overshadowed a bit as transgendered athletes are seeing their rights threatened throughout the country.
This month – Pride Month for the LGBTQ+ community – multiple states are moving forward with legislation to ban transgender women from participating in women’s sports events throughout the country.
This week, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott officially signed legislation that banned transgender women from competing in women’s sports at the college level, adding to a ban already on the state books that enforced a similar ban at the high school level.
Ohio, meanwhile, is making a similar move against transgender athletes, adding a transgender sports ban to an already anti-trans bill that will prohibit minors from using puberty blockers, hormones, or undergoing gender-affirming surgery even if they obtain consent from their parents or guardians.
The moves are coming to the detriment of the transgender and LGBTQ community during a month that they celebrate their identity. As a result, those recent moves against the transgender community have generated plenty of criticism on social media.
Pride celebrations across the country are putting transgender community members front and center in a year when conservative states have prioritized restricting gender affirming care for trans youth, public bathroom use and participation in sports. https://t.co/lS3ywuMqPs
— The Associated Press (@AP) June 13, 2023
Your life matters! We are here for you! You're not alone ❤️🧡💛💚💙💜🤎🖤🤍 https://t.co/wwbFck5tpU
— The HiDad Project (@HiDadProject) June 13, 2023
Lol, good. Make it harder for centrists to deny they're the same cause. https://t.co/pDhDhO8e2E
— David Sharp (@DavidSharp84) June 13, 2023
Pride Month is a celebration of love, but it's also a call to action. The recent wave of bills impacting transgender people, like the ban on gender-affirming medical care for transgender youths in Florida, highlights the urgency to protect and uplift our LGBTQ+ community. We…
— 🏳️🌈 Pride Army 🏳️🌈 (@pride_token) June 10, 2023
Don’t forget this:
During the Pride celebration, the president vowed to fight against current laws circulating in the United States that would ban transgender surgeries on minors as well as transgender athletes from participating in women’s sports.
— Sweets Jane (@jggreenday60) June 14, 2023
Sub bill is accepted so ban on transgender girls and women in female-only sports is added to HB 68 on transgender medical care. June is Pride month. https://t.co/WOMj5Xx5yD
— Jessie Balmert (@jbalmert) June 14, 2023
The transgender community has not been able to celebrate peacefully this year as lawmakers have moved forward with legislation against them.
