A Protest at the Hospital
this article was also recently published in the Daily Progress under the title, not created by me, “Charlottesville is still the capital of the resistance.”
Earlier today, around 4:00, over 50 members of the Charlottesville and UVA community gathered outside the UVA hospital to protest the decision to end gender-affirming care for those under 19. The protestors made their voices known, with bold signs, and transgender flags flying defiantly in the cold rainy wind. Charlottesville is a city of resilience to these kinds of things. This afternoon the community showed that they have the will to stand up to a despicable and tyrannical decision.
A protestor holds a sign saying “Trans Rights are Human Rights” as she marches along the road.
The decision, which came this morning, was in response to an Executive Order titled Protecting Children from Chemical and Surgical Manipulation, which threatened to cut off federal funding to institutions which provided life-saving medical care to trans youth. It also directs federal agencies to disregard the decades of research and science from the World Professional Association of Transgender Youth (WPATH) which has stood for transgender people for decades. It is just one element of a larger, coordinated assault on queer rights. It follows a series of Executive Orders which include rolling back workplace protections and laying the foundation for ending anti-discrimination laws entirely. Not only this but his policies seek to force transgender individuals out of the military, despite the fact that transgender Americans are disproportionately represented in our military.
Today, UVA and VCU health systems became two of the first institutions to bend the knee to this blatant act of dictatorial power, announcing it allegedly under pressure from the attorney general. While it is true that Virginia takes in almost a billion dollars annually in federal health and science funding, it is no excuse. Hospitals across the nation have refused to comply with the president's overreach, defying a clearly tyrannical attack on transgender youth. Where our fellow Americans have stood firm in the face of fascism, Virginia bent its knee.
Yet our motto is “Sic Semper Tyrannis” or “Thus Always to Tyrants.” It is plastered on our flag beneath an image of Virtus, the Lady of Virtue, standing triumphantly over a fallen tyrant. How can a state which rolls over at a tyrant's directive claim to stand against tyranny? And we must make no mistake, they will not stop with transgender people. Today they come for transgender children, tomorrow it will be gay marriage, womens rights, interracial marriage, and every freedom they can strip away. This is not a policy decision with the nation’s best interests in mind, it is fascism, plain and simple. Those who sit quietly now, hoping they can weather the storm, will soon find themselves consumed by it.
