Making a Difference With Our Words:

Tools to help UUs thwart anti-transgender bills and attacks

Reactionary Right-wing groups and individuals are deliberately intimidating, criminalizing,  and inciting hate against transgender people and their families, leading to fear, physical attacks, and even suicides. More than 470 state bills were introduced or active in 2024 (as of March 18) that attack the equality, dignity, and free speech and expression of LGBTQ+people, with many directly targeting transgender people. Some bills would criminalize the very existence Transgender and Gender Expansive people (TGE).

Even before the recent escalation, the American Medical Association declared violence against transgender people an epidemic.  And though these attacks are horrific in their own right, it is clear the demonization and scapegoating of TGE people, if not defeated, will invite subsequent attacks against other marginalized groups. 

Our Unitarian Universalist values compel us to be actively compassionate, and defend the rights and dignity of all people. We are clear and unapologetic. Our LGBTQIA+ siblings are sacred, whole, and divine. As UUs, we understand that the full expression of the diversity of gender and sexuality is a gift. UUs have long offered affirmation for trans people, many of whom find a welcoming spiritual home in UU congregations and our community as a whole. This is a moment of crisis for (especially) our TGE siblings.  UUs are engaged in a broad range of advocacy and organizing to meet the moment and Side With Love. 

One effective tool accessible to most of us is writing letters to the editor (and to elected officials if relevant bills are pending in our state or local community). Here we aim to provide basic issue background, sample letters, facts, and framing, with sample letters to inspire and help you to defend TGE and other LGBTQIA+ people who are under immediate threat. 

The numbers are on our side
According to a large survey released by the ​​Public Religion Research Institute in 2024, more than seven in ten residents of red (71%), battleground (75%), and blue (79%) states favor nondiscrimination protections for LGBTQ+ people. Don’t believe any framing that suggests America is evenly divided on these issues--we are overwhelmingly together.

Yet there was one alarming trend reported in the survey: support for nondiscrimination protections among Republicans dropped from 66% to 59% since the previous PRRI survey. The hateful attacks and bills from many GOP officials clearly are setting back acceptance among their core constituents.

But majorities don’t protect people unless we are active
Yet in the past four years, at least 15 states passed laws barring transgender kids from joining sports teams that align with their gender identity. Eight states already have banned gender-affirming care for youth. And bills to enable myriad forms of discrimination are rampant across the country. At the national level, this results from minoritarian institutions that give wildly disproportionate power to the status quo power structures, which are often comprised of rural, white, and older cisgender, heterosexual men.

We’re proud that Unitarian Universalists lead the way in favoring protections for LGBTQIA+ people among major faith groups in the U.S., with 97 percent support as of 2021.

Talking Points

Consider including one or more of these in letters defending TGE / LGBTQIA+ rights. You may also find useful ideas in previous UUA and Side With Love releases, like this 2023 statement.

As (a)Unitarian Universalist, my faith affirms that all LGBTQIA+ people are sacred, divine, and perfect as they/we are. Our diversity of gender and sexuality is a gift as much as our diversity of appearance and personality.

  • As a matter of faith, the vast majority of UUs believe in protecting the rights of LGBTQIA+ people.  We affirm and support TGE people and their families.

  • Transgender people already are marginalized and subject to many forms of discrimination. There is no credible evidence that transgender people pose a threat to youth or anyone else, so these bills merely reinforce harmful and false myths.

  • Banning gender-affirming care for transgender youth leads to increased rates of depression, self-harm, and suicide.

  • Anti-trans bills violate human rights and dignity--a core principle of Unitarian Universalism. Every human being has the right to live their life free from discrimination.

  • The claim that people of faith oppose LGBTQIA+ rights is demonstrably false. A majority of people from all major faith groups support equal rights for people of all genders.

  • These bills are driven by bad faith, fear, and disinformation, not any evidence of harm. Other people’s discomfort is not the basis for withholding or violating human rights.

  • Bills classifying transgender-affirming care as a crime and equating it with child abuse would mark a radical expansion of state power to interfere with parents’ right to make decisions about how to raise and nurture their children.

  • Regressive politicians know attacking gay and lesbian Americans now is perilous due to the evolution of public attitudes. So now they are targeting a far smaller and more vulnerable group. It’s our moral duty to defend trans people and defeat the politics of hate and resentment.

  • After failing with many past attempts, politicians are framing current anti-trans bills as “protecting children” from irreversible harm. But just one percent of people who transition express regrets while most report dramatic improvements in their mental health and happiness. Gender-affirming surgeries are associated with many health benefits, including a 42% reduction in psychological distress and a 44% reduction in suicidal thoughts.

  • Most anti-trans bills are driven by top-down campaigns with wealthy backers as this report details.

Other Points of Note

  • If your local media refers to adults disrupting school board meetings and yelling at public servants as “concerned parents,” look to see whether they labeled BLM protestors or people advocating progressive causes this way, or with more marginalizing labels like protestors or activists. If the latter, consider calling it out. Our guide to letter-writing below can help you do it effectively.

  • Questions also can be powerful. For example: can you imagine living in an environment where policymakers and powerful people seek to criminalize your very existence-- simply for being who you are?

Take Action!

Quotes

(for UUA speakers, feel free to quote with attribution or paraphrase)

  • One of the guiding principles of the UU faith tradition affirms “the inherent worth and dignity of every person.”

  • “As Unitarian Universalists, we deeply believe that diversity of sexuality and gender is a gift. We unequivocally uplift and support all the trans and non-binary people in our lives, our congregations, and communities.” - Rev. Dr. Susan Frederick-Gray, President of the Unitarian Universalist Association

  • "Our LGBTQIA+ siblings are sacred, whole, and divine. As Unitarian Universalists, we understand that the full expression of the diversity of gender and sexuality is a gift." - March 2023 UUA Statement

  • ”I believe we are all created in the image of God and God named all of creation good. So in all the ways humanity shows up in our lives, we see the beauty of God reflected back to us.” - UU Reverend Sara LaWall, Idaho

  • “We, as Unitarian Universalists, are in solidarity and in support of the identity and expression of trans youth, which we affirm unapologetically.” - Rev. Dr. Susan Frederick-Gray, President of the Unitarian Universalist Association.

  • “I don’t understand what they are going through or why they feel the way they do. But I want them to live. And all the research shows that even a little acceptance and connection can reduce suicidality significantly.” - Republican Utah Governor Spencer Cox, statement one vetoing an anti-trans sports bill (longer excerpt here). 

Learning the Landscape

  • Combatting Anti-Trans Legislation 101 Training
    This outstanding webinar and resource collection features Sam Ames of The Trevor Project; Rev. Erin Walter from Texas UU Justice Ministry; and Rev. Lisa Garcia-Sampson from UU Justice Ministry of North Carolina, and. Side With Love staff Rev. Ashley Horan, Rev. Michael Crumpler, Rev. Ranwa Hammamy, and Adrian Ballou also join.

Anti-TGE Groups and Types of Policies They Promote

State legislation attacking LGBT+ rights often is generated by national organizations like the Heritage Foundation, Family Policy Alliance, and the Alliance Defending Freedom. These groups jointly created the umbrella group called Promise to America's Children last year. Under the banner of “supporting parental rights,” they push policies to marginalize LGBT+ kids in schools. Those policies fall into several categories.

  1. Denying access to health care (such as Medicaid or, for youth, gender-affirming treatment). Many of these bills ban gender-affirming care for trans youth and can create criminal penalties for doctors.  Some bills block government funding to medical centers that offer gender-affirming care or ban insurance coverage of such care.

  2. Broadly legalizing discrimination by allowing businesses, landlords, non-profits, and even medical care providers to refuse service to LBGT+ people.

  3. Stifling free expression and speech via banning books that address LGBT+ sexuality bans, banning or restricting drag shows, and other forms of expression protected by the First Amendment.

  4. Banning transgender youth from participating on sports teams that match their gender identity.

  5. Restricting the use of public accommodations (like public bathrooms and locker rooms) by transgender people.

Further Reading from UUA and Side With Love

UUA UPLIFT Action resources

Trans Day of Visibility March 31. UUA Trans Day of Visibility online party for trans/nonbinary families. Also, glaad and GLSEN are among several organizations with useful information and tools to commemorate the occasion