Anna Maeve

The Other Side of the Mirror

There is something deeply fragile about a world where a man in a suit, with a flag pin on his lapel, gets to decide whether trans people deserve rights. Yet here we are. Trump is back, and with him comes the same old fear mongering, the same policies designed to make life unbearable for anyone who does not fit neatly into the box of straight, cisgender, and obedient. His first term saw trans rights rolled back in healthcare, education, and the military, where most openly trans people were barred from enlisting unless they served under their sex assigned at birth. Now, the people who cheered those decisions are sharpening their knives, and the ripple effect is global.

When the US sets the tone, other countries follow. The UK government is doubling down on anti trans policies, banning gender affirming care for youth and restricting legal recognition. Hungary and Poland are erasing trans identities from the law. Uganda’s government, emboldened by the rising tide of global anti LGBTQ+ rhetoric, has passed some of the harshest anti queer laws in the world. Even in so called progressive nations like Australia and New Zealand, anti trans narratives are creeping into mainstream politics. A visit from British anti trans activist Kellie Jay Keen Minshull in 2023 led to violent clashes, showing just how much the debate has shifted from civil rights to outright hostility.

But here is the thing, this is not really about trans people. It never was. The obsession with enforcing strict gender roles is about maintaining power. Heteronormativity is not just a cultural default, it is a system, deeply tied to capitalism. The nuclear family, with its clear cut roles, man as provider, woman as caretaker, creates predictable workers and consumers. Trans and non binary people disrupt this. If gender is not fixed, if relationships do not follow a script, then the entire system looks shakier. That terrifies the people who profit from it. Why do you think right wing politicians are more upset about trans people existing than about rising poverty, climate disasters, or healthcare crises? Because it is easier to sell fear than to fix real problems.

But history shows that societies thrive when they embrace diversity. Many Indigenous cultures had no issue recognizing third genders long before colonizers imposed rigid binaries. Studies show that inclusive societies are healthier, happier, and more economically stable. People being free to exist as they are is not a threat, it is a sign that a society is working.

The world is at a crossroads. A second Trump term does not stop at the US border. It fuels a movement that sees difference as something to be crushed rather than celebrated. But trans people are not going anywhere. We have existed before their laws, and we will exist long after their power fades.