Ashley speaks: How the continued erosion of our trans rights down south could cause more headwinds at home, the enemies of a just society are relishing in ''Rights for me, not for thee''

Just over one week ago, we witnessed a massacre which claimed the lives of two innocent children along with injuring a further nearly 2 dozen at the Annunciation Catholic Church with its adjacent school in Minneapolis Minnesota. The perpetrator who carried out this cowardly and despicable act ended their own life after causing the damage they had, and before they could face the music with their day in court. Without question, this was an evil act carried out by a highly disturbed individual who, somewhere along the way, went well beyond wayward.

The sad reality is, this type of sad event where the most innocent among us are slaughtered is not at all a new thing in the United States of America. Whereas the Columbine Massacre in 1999 was seen as a noteworthy and freighting event, there have been numerous Columbines within the last two decades, each one just as heart breaking as the last yet someone, no resolve. The obvious solution for their situation is sensible gun control, specifically red flag laws.

What makes the Annunciation Massacre stick out however is not only no talk of said red flag laws, it is also the claim that the perpetrator is, or was at one stage anyway, living a transgender person. I say this with some doubt as their is conflicting stories saying that the perpetrator was indeed a trans woman and others that claim Westman (Perpetrators name) had began a bit of a transition at one point, but may not have continued. Truth be told we still do not know the full story, but that has not stopped certain politicians and media from making some disgusting commentary against the community. There is also ample news of Westman claiming to hate being trans, wishing they were not trans and posting some extreme far right beliefs.

Rather or not Westman was trans does not matter. Two innocent children lost their lives to a messed up person and now the people who wish to hurt the community are trying to extrapolate Westman as the standard bearer the trans community as a whole. This is what these people do, they find one anecdotal example of a bad person doing an evil thing and say it is representative of their (in this case merely possible) demographic even when all evidence points in the other direction.

As of today, we got word from Trumps DOJ that they will try and ban transgender people from purchasing fire arms. That is right, no red flag laws, no going after specific people who pose actual threats. No, they will being trying to blanket ban all trans people from getting a firearm full stop in perpetuity, while ignoring the real threats in society. This flies in the face of statistics with show trans people are not only at a higher risk of being a victim of violence, but also are a lower risk to be an offender. Or, in other words, the same people (Republican adjacent politicians & think tanks & media pundits) who would never ever allow common sense gun control as they are (largely) bought and paid for by the NRA, have decided they would be all too willing to allow an exception to scapegoat their newest target of their propaganda and apply the ol' ''rights for me, not for thee''

Let's not beat around it, this is another attempt to eradicate trans people from public and create conditions to place anyone who is trans in the crosshairs of those who want to hurt our trans friends and family. Just like when the Trump regime kicked trans military veterans out of service and without their retirement funds to be collected, just like reversing their I.Ds to their gender assigned at birth and the list goes on, these people really are trying to eradicate the community.

What we see down there has consequences, not just to our trans American friends but believe you me, there are a number of hateful and evil folks walking around in our own society and within our own government chambers chomping at the bit to extract as much from the US regime and apply that up here. We must not be complacent and we must organize here and now.

*Ashley D (*edited to include name)