This past week in West Virginia, Republican Senator Michael Azinger introduced a bill that, “would prohibit obscene and sexually explicit materials in or within 2,500 feet of the state’s schools and would bar children from being present for obscene performances or displays.” Later on, while defining what “obscene performances or displays” means, the bill specifically states, “any transvestite and/or transgender exposure, performances or display to any minor,” as one of the restrictions.

They are the only group of people to be specifically mentioned in the bill.

This bill, of course, faced heavy amounts of backlash- many people explaining how this implies that transgender people, including transgender teenagers and children, are considered inherently sexual beings, which comes with it’s own slew of child-sexualization and pedophiliac implications and problems.

Many others compare this bill to the infamous “don’t say gay” bill in Florida, which was on the blaze last spring- I’m sure many of you remember. Andrew Schneider, the executive director of Fairness West Virginia, a statewide LGBTQ rights group, said, “They seem like they’re about protecting kids from harm, but really it’s a ploy to erase LGBTQ people from public life.”

His statement is one many citizens can agree with and relate to- continuously these anti- LGBTQ+ bills are pushed out into the world under the guise of being “for the children” when they continuously harm transgender and queer kids- so, you only care about protecting and helping the straight, cisgender children that fit into your picture-perfect idea of what a good student should be like?

The sad part is, this is not the first of it’s kind. As previously mentioned, the notorious “don’t say gay” bill was rampaging just last year and really caused an increased awareness of anti-queer agenda and laws that were sweeping through the nation.

But those two aren’t all.

As of March of last spring, there were a recorded nearly 240 anti-LGBTQ+ legislative acts introduced, with about 160 of those bills specifically targeting transgender citizens and identities. Just recently, Ohio failed to pass a bill that would have restricted transgender youth from participating in sports and athletics- currently, Ohio requires that all transgender teenage athletes undergo a year of HRT (hormone replacement therapy) prior to participating in the sport of their choice. The new law would’ve required that they participate only in the sports that align with their assigned gender at birth.

What can be done to help stop the brutal political attack over queer and transgender bodies? Simple things everyone can do is to sign campaigns and to reach out to your representatives- let them know what you want. Change doesn’t happen by itself- it happens when people ban together and make it happen.

Another obvious thing is to always vote. It seems simple enough, but too many people often discredit the importance of their own vote and participation in the government- it doesn’t matter if it’s just one vote, what matters is that you represent yourself to the people who are going to be making decisions for you.