In yesterday’s post I talked about Rene Girard and the cycle of violence.
This week violence has been written into law. Representative Nancy Mace has introduced an amendment to the Defense Authorization Bill that would prohibit TRICARE from covering gender-affirming care. That means people like me, military retirees, veterans, and our families, could lose access to the hormones and therapy that keep us alive. Perhaps this is the beginning of an across the board ban on transgender healthcare.
But she didn’t stop with policy. In her testimony offering this amendment, she called us “trannies, freaks, weirdos, and mentally deranged.” Those words are not just insults. They are weapons. Words like that give permission for violence. They tell the world that trans lives are disposable. And when lawmakers use them, they legitimize hatred.
Watch Nancy Mace’s introduction of this amendment at:
But here’s the truth: we are not freaks, we are not broken. We are human beings, beloved, sacred, created in the image of God. And no amendment, no slur, no attempt to erase us will change that.
This is the cycle: first they legislate us out of healthcare, then they legislate us out of public life, then they legislate us out of existence. But we resist by telling the truth about who we are: resilient, beautiful, and still here.
To my trans siblings who are scared right now: you are not alone. I am scared too. But, we will fight this together. We will support each other. I got a text from my friend Cassie last night that said “I saw they’re looking at going after Tricare again. Just wanted to reiterate that we’re here for you.”
We are here for each other.
We are not going anywhere.
We will not go gentle in to this dark night.
We will rise above.
