Open letter to Ambassador Allan Katz and the Board of American Public Square
I am concerned about the increase in violence against LGBTQ persons— as well as the rise in hostile rhetoric and laws targeted at making life more difficult, or even impossible for them. With such hostility on the rise, it makes sense to evaluate which events will contribute to reasoned discourse and greater understanding and acceptance, and which events are likely to deepen polarization and make public life less safe for people.
What to watch for when evaluating a town hall about trans issues
As a community organization, APS may feel that it’s in their rights to put on a panel discussing transgender issues, but until they take the responsibility of putting in the work to get to know LGBTQ people and issues, it will be difficult for people in LGBTQ circles to trust them.
A victory for civil dialogue: American Public Square postposes their panel, “Exploring Gender and Identities”
American Public Square (APS) was planning to hold a panel discussion of trans rights. Today, I am glad to see that the event was postponed. While I am glad that it has been postponed, I will be happier when it has been canceled. It was a bad panel and the timing couldn’t be worse, immersed as we are in a moral panic about trans people.
Some context for the upcoming discussion of trans rights, presented by American Public Square
The scope of American Public Square's panel on "Gender and Identity" is balancing rights of trans people with protecting women and children in the context of anti-trans laws in Missouri and Kansas. This scope is bad because it pits trans rights against the needs of women and children. We need to go deeper.