In 1968, Louisiana passed a law allowing trans people to update their birth certificates. According to historical records, the law—which made Louisiana the 4th state to allow such changes—was introduced and passed because a trans woman had asked them to. Indeed, that was all it took for the legislature to act. And the final vote tally? 87-8 in the state House and 38-0 in the state Senate.
It may be hard to imagine a conservative state willingly doing anything to help trans people now, let alone after we ask them to, but until relatively recently, that was pretty much the norm. In 2009, Nebraska dropped its surgery requirement for driver’s licenses after it was asked to. In 2013, Idaho did the same. And in 2015, the GOP-held West Virginia Senate successfully pushed the equally red state House into removing the surgery requirement for driver’s licenses as well.
You should really be more specific about which Democrats. I understand they are a coalition, but they’re not homogenous, and it’s important to name and shame.
In this case it was Turek and he faced a lot of backlash from progressive Democrats like AOC.
By Erin Reeds’s count, 31 Democrats have leaned into anti-trans messaging at some point in their current campaigns. While most have only ceded ground on trans people’s participation in sports, a few have gone further. Iowa Senate hopeful Josh Turek, for example, has publicly opposed “taxpayers paying for sex changes,” a statement that carries with it the implication that gender-affirming care isn’t healthcare. Meanwhile, Ohio House Democrat Marcy Kaptur ran ads declaring that she “voted with Republicans to keep transgender ideology out of schools.” Another, South Carolina Senate candidate Annie Andrews responded to Trump calling her an anti-trans slur by branding trans women ‘biological men.’ Finally, Amy Acton, the Democratic nominee for Ohio governor, ditched a meeting with local LGBTQ+ advocates a few days after she promised to “enforce and uphold” the state’s existing anti-trans laws. After she faced intraparty blowback, the Ohio Democratic Party responded by silencing her critics with impunity.
