Guest Commentary: A Queer Student’s Point of View about the Trans Rhetoric

by Eleanora Glick

Hello, my name is Eleanora (Nora) Glick and I go to Davis High School. I am a senior and will be going to Sac City College in the fall of 2023. You probably have heard of my dad (Ron) since he is very active on the Vanguard and in our community. I am a very active member of the LGBT community and I do my best to be very politically active. I am currently in a relationship with a MtF (male to female) trans girl my age. Her name is Phoenix and I love her very much. I wanted to speak on my frustration with how people perceive trans issues in this community and how it affects me. For a bit of context I have been dating my girlfriend for over a year and she uses she/they pronouns. I use them interchangeably but I request that if you want to say anything about her, please use the correct pronouns. My girlfriend is also on the autism spectrum, I promise this is important.

Some of the rhetoric I have seen on this website has been upsetting to me, as a student in a queer relationship. I have seen people talk about trans issues as if they’re just another issue that we need to work on. These issues are not just “issues” they are human rights issues. My girlfriend deserves to walk safely in communities without the fear of being murdered or hurt. With all these laws coming into place and such, I feel very scared for my well being and hers. With groups such as Moms for Liberty showing up in Davis, I feel very scared and unsafe as a queer teenager. I already have to live with the fear that I will be shot in school. I personally feel that me and my partner should be allowed to walk freely without the threat of insults being hurled at us. My girlfriend has already been called a f-g multiple times when she was just walking and living her life. That is not okay and it makes me feel worried for her safety. Unfortunately, MtF trans people get a lot of hate from other people. Because people will always say that they are “invading” women’s spaces and that they’re not “real women” because they can’t give birth or menstruate. Meanwhile, there are many women in the world who cannot give birth, carry a child or menstruate. Does that make them any less of a woman? Absolutely not. So why are trans women bashed as being less of a woman because they cannot do the things I have mentioned?

I am also very very disgusted with the supposed rhetoric that those with autism are “vulnerable” to becoming trans. It disgusts me very much because I myself have multiple learning disabilities which can be similar to autism, and they have in no way formed my gender identity or my sexuality. My girlfriend herself is autistic and she has grown up in a supportive family who love her very much. This is disgusting to me how people are implying that someone with autism would be vulnerable to becoming trans, as if being trans is a disease or problem that you gain. They act that being trans is like it’s an infection that you get because you scraped your knee on the ground. Being trans is not a disease and it disgusts me that people want to imply that it is.

People are acting like being autistic is a bad thing in this context. I have had the privilege to be a peer helper in a special education class for 2 years now. I have worked with so many amazing kids and many of them are now my friends. Having autism is not bad, sometimes you just have some more challenges than some other people. I have been lucky enough to work with the amazing Jacqueline Moreno who has been a wonderful teacher to me and the other students. She fully accepts who I am and accepts another peer helper in my class who identifies as male but was assigned female. In her class I have worked and become friends with some people that have autism and they are some of the funniest and kindest people I’ve ever met. But one thing I want to say is that autism does not define them. Neither does Down Syndrome or a speech impediment or even a physical disability. They are some of the best people I’ve ever met. Today we literally made Rice Crispy Treats as a treat at the end of the month and it was fun. Autism is not a negative thing. It may come with its challenges but that doesn’t define who they are.

While there have been some studies showing that many queer people are also autistic or on the spectrum, it’s still consistently seen as a negative thing. Why is it being used in a negative way? Autism in this case should not be used to pathologize being trans and insinuate that there is a “sickness”. Why are we framing being trans as a condition or a problem instead of it being part of someone’s identity? Why are people framing it as a problem…

Now for those who don’t know, a few months ago there was a protest on our school campus of parents who were protesting trans children wanting to transition. Me and my friend Hailey, decided to go and talk to them. I kept a civil conversation as I felt that it would not be safe for me to speak my mind in a circle full of women who clearly did not have the same opinions of me. The rhetoric that people with autism are “vulnerable” to becoming trans, really really upset me. I went home after listening and cried for a while because I was so infuriated. It was after this incident that I formally joined the Queer Student Union.

Overall, I posted this because I feel so tired and emotionally exhausted from all the rhetoric that has been around here and I wanted to give my point of view. Please understand that this is just my opinion and my point of view but… I want to speak my voice. You don’t have to read or comment or even read this. But understand that these problems affect students and teenagers too. Please remember to be kind and understanding. Many people go through issues and we need to lift them up, not bring them down.