The primary, if (mostly) unspoken, purpose of voter ID laws is to keep down turnout among African-American voters who prefer Democrats. But one of the side effects of the laws is that they make it harder for trans voters too. An estimated 34,000 trans voters may find it impossible to cast a ballot this election because they can’t clear the hurdles that Republican legislatures have put in place.
According to a report from the Williams Institute at the UCLA School of Law, eight states have laws that make voting incredibly (and perhaps intentionally) difficult for trans people. At issue is the need to produce documentation, such as a birth certificate, that not only proves that they are U.S. citizens but that also reflects their gender. Of course, North Carolina, hotbed of anti-trans activity, is one of the eight offending states.
“Transgender people have unique, and sometimes insurmountable, burdens to obtaining accurate IDs for voting in states that require it,”says Williams Institute Scholar Jody Herman, the author of the study.
Changing documents so that they accurately reflect the voter’s gender is a burdensome and often costly process that requires jumping through a series of bureaucratic hoops. Needless to say, that burden falls disproportionately on transgender people of color, youth, students and people with disabilities. The National Center for Transgender Equality has a checklist for voters to help them navigate both pre- and post-Election Day challenges.
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Did Republican legislators intentionally decide to craft laws that target trans voters? Probably not. But that if they did, they’d consider it a feature of the law, not a bug.
IDoNotHaveToAgreeWithYou
Well someone finally put a number on it. Thirty four thousand of them holding gay rights back and preventing millions of gays from getting nationwide job and housing protection. That’s why gays should be working for gay rights instead of trans rights. Trans right has nothing to do with sexuality and this outside issue only harms gays.
1EqualityUSA
The GOP’s message is obsolete, so no amount of voter suppression can fix this. 2018 is going put a bit of extra fizz in the Koch. Twenty-five Democrats will need to protect their seats, to only eight Republicans. 2018 is the make or break year. As for Transgender, leave nobody behind on the field. The T’s are fused with us until the end of time. Celebrate all who are brave enough to be genuine.
everybodywinsyay
Anything from the Williams Institute is suspect. It is the equivalent of anything from SPLC. Both extremist groups that make their money by scaring people and telling lies.
Trans today but maybe not tomorrow. Trans are not a set group and never will be. There is no uniformity within the group as much as activists want to make everyone believe. For such a small group of people, we shouldn’t be that worried.
1EqualityUSA
oh…you…you…utilitarian, you!
Gina
@everybodywinsyay: Your ignorance of the nature and scope of being transgender is astonishing. Being transgender is not a transitory condition, anymore than being gay or lesbian is mutable according to how a person feels on any given day. Different individuals may manifest their gender identity in different ways, but it is the same circumstance – an incongruity between one’s physical gender and their interior gender identity. And, the fundamental, human rights trans-men and women are entitled to in our society are not a function of their size as a demographic group, or the benevolence of the majority to grant those rights to them. They come from their intrinsic humanity – the same humanity that entitles each of us to expect equal consideration under the law and in all of our social interactions.
Gina
@IDoNotHaveToAgreeWithYou: Wow, it’s really rare to encounter a gay person who so enthusiastically embraces the same kind of ignorance and bigotry that the straight world has used against the LGBTQ community for so long. Basic human rights, and expectations of equal treatment under the law aren’t functions of the size of a demographic group, nor are they granted by the kindness of the majority. They come from our fundamental humanity. You may not realize it, but gays and lesbians only make up about three or four percent of the total population in the U.S. You’re a minority, too. If trans-men and women don’t deserve equity under the law and in common social interactions because there aren’t very many of them, then gay and lesbian Americans can kiss their citizenship rights goodbye, just as well. I got news for you, Toots, the straight world is no more fond of you than they are of us.
IDoNotHaveToAgreeWithYou
@Gina: No it’s rare for gays to stand up to these outsiders that are harming and have been using us for decades. But, don’t worry. It’s getting to be more and more common, so you’ll be sing a lot of it. We are done being held back by people with a mental disorder that can’t face reality. Again, none of which has one thing to do with sexuality, so they have no business being part of gay rights.
Rob91316
Wha-wha-what??!! Republicans trying to lie, cheat and steal their way to victory??? Why, I’ve never heard of such a thing! I’m shocked — SHOCKED, I tell you!!!
captainburrito
@IDoNotHaveToAgreeWithYou: If you can abandon tras, why should straight allies not abandon you?
captainburrito
@everybodywinsyay: Professor Herrick in the prop 8 trial also testified that sexual orientation is changeable in at least some people. Religion is not set. Neither is marital status. Why would it matter? Notice how some constitutional rights are based on behaviour eg. religion, gun ownership, speech. Why would something that is set or not matter?
IDoNotHaveToAgreeWithYou
@captainburrito: Say hello president Trump thanks to their trying to force their way into women’s bathrooms and locker rooms. They were the sole reason the bible beaters voted for Trump.
abnerbha
Transexuals are mutilated gays and lesbians. I don’t care what others say but mutilating a man or woman to make them fake members of opposite sex is gay/lesbian. And gay/lesbian groups are apologists for Transexuals which is why the word T is there. They must abolish this surgical mutilation.
Finally, sex change maimings which is mutilating some1 to make them fake members of opposite sex is comparable to trying to make a man a fake animal because he thinks he is an animal trapped in a human body. Most feminists are not speaking against this. 1 would hope that feminists would oppose the mutilation that happened to Chastity Sun Bono as feminists have spoken against Female Genital Mutilation which happens in some nations. Transexuals are mutilations which no Dr. should take part in, yet most feminists are not condemning this female genital and breast mutilation as what happened to Chastity S. Bono where her healthy breasts were mutilated, dangerous hormone shots and her genitals mutilated.
abnerbha
I want to go into women’s bathrooms if there are pretty women in there & if a pretty woman wants to use men’s bathrooms, then that is fine. I want a pretty woman to go into men’s bathrooms but I wouldn’t want uglies like Ellen Lee DeGeneres and Rosie T. O’Donnell shitting in any bathroom as they’re ugly so Ellen & Rosie can shit in diapers. Ellen Lee DeGeneres & Rosie T. O’Donnell both probably like to have farting & shitting contests in bathrooms, so Ellen & Rose both want to do battleshits contest in men’s bathrooms since women’s toilets got dirtied by them.