When it comes to the transgender community:
If you want to discuss transgender participation in sports, I’m willing to listen to all sides with an open mind.
It’s a complex issue.
If you want to discuss the appropriate age to allow for hormone treatments, gender reassignment surgery, or gender education in the schools, I’m willing to listen with an open mind.
It’s also a complex issue. Also, since I’m not a medical professional, I will likely defer to medical experts and parents.
Why should I have any say in the healthcare of another human being?
Still, I’ll listen. Perhaps I can learn something.
If you want to discuss restroom use for transgender people, I’m willing to listen with an open mind, even though I routinely use gender-neutral restrooms with my female friends when we perform and attend performances in places like Boston, New Haven, and New York City and think nothing of it.
Still, I’m willing to listen. It seems a little less complex, but perhaps I can be educated on issues I don’t yet understand.
But when it comes to the words spoken by bigots regarding transgender people and Donald Trump’s recent change in passport policy as it related to transgender people, I think actor and activist Pedro Pascal said it best this week:
“I can’t think of anything more vile and small and pathetic than terrorizing the smallest, most vulnerable community of people who want nothing from you except the right to exist.”
This sounds just right to me.
Pedro Pascal – whose sister is transgender — received a lot of positive and negative feedback about his statement, but to his credit, he doesn’t give a damn. He knows what is right and is willing to say it, even if it means a bunch of ignoramuses and hate-mongers might not watch his films and television shows.
We need more people like this in the world.
