It’s the responsibility of government to represent everybody. That might sound obvious — it’s one of first things we learn about American democracy — but even those elected to positions of power often fall short of this most fundamental obligation. The democracy that serves as the beating heart of this country is its strongest when it’s being shaped by everyone.
Despite the deep partisan divides that fuel news coverage and online arguments, I believe the overwhelming majority of Americans would agree with that statement. Most of us want the same things: opportunities for ourselves and our loved ones, dignity in our communities and workplaces, and security – both personally and economically.
I’ve been proud to serve in Connecticut government at a time when we’ve largely side-stepped toxic national fights to instead focus on our collective economic success and the well-being of our residents.
Last week, however, several Connecticut lawmakers proposed legislation targeting transgender children. The proposal represents another extension of the fanaticism that has overtaken national politics. It is a brazen and obvious attempt to limit who enjoys the rights and the opportunities that are guaranteed to all Americans. This extreme vision being presented across the country, and now being peddled here in Connecticut, purports to believe in American rights and freedoms, but seeks to limit those rights to some Americans and exclude others.
That is the common thread that binds the so-called Culture Wars together. While each individual grievance or attack is meant to leverage fear, confusion or misunderstanding within the public, together it all functions as a barrier to participation, opportunity, dignity, and security.
Day-to-day, it presents as an outsized obsession with youth sports, rage over light beer advertising, or an overpowering fear of a book on a library shelf. More broadly, it attempts to strip away constitutional rights from women and members of the LGBTQ community and make our elections less democratic.
Taken together, it sends a clear message to anyone who doesn’t go along with the shallow politics of grievance and the raw accumulation of power: “America isn’t for you.” That is deeply unpatriotic.
It’s also dangerous. Data shows that LGBTQ youth, particularly trans kids, already experience higher rates of suicide and depression. Beyond the numbers, there are horrifying individual accounts of violence including Nex Benedict, an Oklahoma teen who was beaten at school earlier this month and died the next day. Lost in the vitriol of the churning culture war is basic human empathy for kids who deserve a chance to grow up and shape their own future.
These policies hurt kids. It’s up to all of us to prove to those pushing the bills — state Reps. Mark Anderson of Granby, Anne Dauphinais, of Killingly, Joe Hoxha of Bristol, Brian Lanoue, of Griswold, Donna Veach of Southington — that doing so is also harmful to their own political futures.
It sometimes feels like the most outrageous or extreme figures in our politics are the only ones being heard because they’re the loudest. It can make it feel like we’re not making progress. But we can’t be discouraged.
It’s frustrating and exhausting to keep having to push back against an endless stream of tactics designed to create cultural fissures in our communities and split us apart. But we must affirm our state’s shared values — including that all kids should feel safe and comfortable in their schools. Leadership is required to demonstrate that the future we’re building for Connecticut includes everybody.
Growing up in New Haven, it was unimaginable that someone from my community could become state treasurer. We had no reason to think that was possible. There were no examples around us to demonstrate that successful careers in the fields of finance, government, or law were within our reach.
As a gay man, I felt that same doubt and isolation as I went through school. It wasn’t until I saw other out leaders, living as their authentic selves and making real change, that I realized there was room for me too. Young people need to see it to believe it.
While it would be easier to ignore these anti-trans proposals and hope they just go away, the kids being targeted need to see for themselves that their government supports them. We need to make clear — every day and in every way — that we reject discrimination and embrace the rights and futures of all Connecticut children, knowing that protecting the rights of trans kids does not threaten the rights of all others.
Our economic future also depends on these kids being prepared to shape the next iteration of our state, and that work becomes much harder when they’re told they’re not welcome to fully participate by the adults elected to represent them.
For a child struggling with their identity, even one caring adult can be lifesaving, lending powerful support at a time of vulnerability and profound self-discovery. I hope the overwhelming majority of lawmakers who find these discriminatory proposals unacceptable will find the courage to speak out against them. Connecticut needs to lead by example, and that leadership begins with the elected officials of our state.
