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For the few weeks before our school board election, I was spammed with text messages from “Neighbors for a Better Colorado,” who tried to incite a moral panic about transgender kids playing sports and using school bathrooms. I guess they thought it would be a good wedge issue – or something. It was incredibly annoying.
To the people who ran that campaign: I’m not worried about trans kids in locker rooms. I’m worried about parents harassing other people’s daughters when the kids don’t seem girly enough while they’re playing soccer. I’m worried about not being able to use the only single-seat bathroom in a tiny building because it says “Men” on the door. I’m worried about adults policing which kids get to go into a locker room. (What are they going to do? Inspect kids’ genitals?)
The slate of candidates promoted by the anti-trans texts lost the election overwhelmingly, getting no more than 30% of the vote. Unaffiliated voters apparently were not swayed by the fear-mongering. It is clear from the election results that protecting trans kids is the moderate position; anyone who won’t stand up for transgender kids seems, at best, to be caving in to the demands of creepy extremists.
Our representatives in Washington, especially Jeff Hurd and John Hickenlooper, would be wise to recognize where the center really lies and stop supporting anti-trans bills if they want to come across as reasonable people.
Kim Hannula
Durango
