Under section one of the fourteenth amendment it is written that “no state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.”

Throughout the years, many people and documents have repeatedly stated how they believe in equality for all, but their treatment of minorities has reflected the complete opposite. 

Recent events emphasize this with bills put in that would harm these groups of minorities. 

Anti-trans, limiting the freedom of speech, banning abortion. “Don’t say gay.” 

Those in support of these bills claim to believe in equality so why are they going against it?

And while microaggressions have been a problem for forever, the issue is that there has been what feels like a new bill every day, striving to prevent full freedom for those considered to be a part of these minority groups.

To begin with, issues surrounding abortion have been present for at least a decade now, and yet not one development has been made. Even though many have spoken up about the issue, it’s one that only seems to get worse. 

Just last year, the US passed at least 106 abortion restrictions, and the year became “the single worst year for reproductive health care access in the country’s history.”

On March 22nd, House Bill 4327 was passed in Oklahoma which would ban most abortions by allowing citizens to sue anyone who performs an abortion or helps someone who wishes to pursue the procedure. Although abortions have decreased by 60% in Texas during the first month of the bill, Oklahoma has seen an increase in the number of abortions performed due to Texans crossing the line to seek the procedure. 

According to Insider, Missouri state representative Brian Seitz proposed a bill that would criminalize all abortions after 10 weeks of pregnancy. There would be no exceptions for ectopic pregnancies, which can be fatal, or for any sex trafficking victims who requested an abortion. 

In Tennessee, state representative Rebecca Alexander is pushing for a bill that would ban all abortions, including those needed in the case of rape and incest. With this bill, the state would reward $10,000 to citizens who successfully sue doctors, those who wish to get an abortion, and anyone helping either party. 

In Idaho, similar to Texas, abortions have been banned for anyone pregnant for over 6 weeks. And more “generously” than Tennessee, for rape and incest cases in Idaho, those who wish to get an abortion must provide a police report to prove their case to be considered eligible to follow through with the procedure. 

Although much worse than any of the other states, Ohio has proposed the bill known as house bill 480 in which there would be no exceptions to get an abortion, “regardless of pregnancy timeline, rape, incest, or a mother’s medical emergency.”

Abortion is a topic that people have many different views on, but even when a person has the most pro-life views on abortion, it is completely inhumane to ban abortion completely to the point where even those who get pregnant through rape or assault are forced to have their baby no matter the trauma or even death that could come with it. 

With 2022 still having barely started, there have also been more than 150 anti-LGBTQ bills introduced so far this year, with a majority targeting transgender people. 

On March 8th, the Florida Senate passed the Parental Rights in Education bill with a vote of 22-17. The bill bans certain instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity in grades K-3 “or in a manner that is not age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate.”

The “Don’t Say Gay” bill bans schools from withholding any information about a student and curriculum to parents. Many Floridians have felt outraged in response to the bill, with Florida students hosting school walkouts in protest of the bill statewide. 

Not only were students protesting this bill, but those in the state expressed their opposition to the bill as well. 

When protesters stood outside the Florida Capitol, Florida Rep. Carlos Smith greeted the group of protesters with a tweet that said: “To LGBTQ youth, we stand with you, we see you, you matter and we get up and fight for you every single day!” 

A group of local students just showed up to the Florida Capitol to protest the #dontsaygaybill. They sent a powerful message to the legislature by being here!

To LGBTQ youth, we stand with you, we see you, you matter and we get up and fight for you every single day! #SayGay 🏳️‍🌈 pic.twitter.com/ylQRMcfhOz

— Rep. Carlos G Smith (@CarlosGSmith) March 3, 2022

State legislative director and senior counsel at the Human Campaign, Cathryn M Oakley said, “Discriminatory pieces of legislation like the ‘Don’t Say Gay or Trans’ bill don’t solve any critical issues in Florida. Instead, these bills shamefully attack and endanger LGBTQ+ students who are just trying to get a quality education, whom the state has an obligation to treat fairly and protect.”

And while it may be one of the most popular as of right now, Florida isn’t the only state that is pushing harmful legislation toward LGBTQ+ youth currently.

The same week, lawmakers in Georgia also introduced a bill that aims to “deter developmentally inappropriate classroom discussion of gender identity and sexual orientation” for elementary-age students.

“Can you provide a definition for the word ‘woman’?”asked Senator Marsha Blackburn to Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson during her confirmation hearing last Tuesday.

Jackson replied saying, I’m not a biologist.”

In response, Blackburn claimed, “the fact that you can’t give me a straight answer about something as fundamental as what a woman is underscores the dangers of the kind of progressive education that we are hearing about.” 

Although this outburst has nothing to do with Jackson’s qualifications and more to do with the respective parties’ opinions. 

If Jackson is confirmed, she will likely have power over cases that involve trans rights which have been incredibly threatened by different bills recently. Many bills have looked to ban gender-affirming health care for trans youth, and other bills have banned trans girls from participating in K-12 girls’ sports. 

These insignificant questions asked to Jackson, further the point that many individuals have no care for genuine equality for all.

This disregard for the issues which trans people face daily poses a major threat for many LGBTQ+ youths. 

With 2022 still having barely started, there have been more than 150 anti-LGBTQ bills introduced so far this year, with a majority targeting transgender people. 

Last year there were more than 130 anti-trans bills pushed for in the country, with 38 denying trans children access to gender-affirming health care. As of March 18th, a total of 15 states have taken action towards establishing or are considering laws that would restrict access to gender-affirming care. This includes bills pushed to deny access to hormone therapy and puberty blockers, treatments that have been supported and reviewed by mainstream medical organizations to help transgender teens and preteens delay the effects of puberty. 

Knowing that only about 150,000 youth identify as transgender in America, statistics about the possible effects of these bills are very shocking.

For example, a report from the Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law estimates that more than 54,000 or 36% of transitioning transgender youth are at risk of losing access to gender-affirming medical care. 

For example, also on March 8th, Idaho’s statehouse approved house bill 675 which says that medical personnel who provide gender-affirming health care and parents who agree for their child to receive such care could face life in prison. The bill was passed 55-13. 

Though threats to gender-affirming health care aren’t the only problem, these bills have also led to transgender women and girls being banned from female sports and parents of transgender children getting investigated for child abuse. The lengths which have been taken against transgender youth and individuals are incredibly harmful. Those who claim to be so pro-life are the same ones in support of these anti-gay and anti-trans bills which many times lead these youth to be kicked out of their house and suffer both mental and physical trauma caused by those who are incredibly transphobic. How are they to call themselves pro-life when they are so against the lives of so many?