LGBTQ+ rights do not take away women’s rights

President Biden’s inauguration took place last Wednesday, Jan. 20. Following his inauguration, he got to work repealing transphobic bills and making executive orders preventing discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation.  

Section one of the Executive Order states, “Every person should be treated with respect and dignity and should be able to live without fear, no matter who they are or whom they love. Children should be able to learn without worrying about whether they will be denied access to the restroom, the locker room, or school sports.”  

The order goes on to state that people should also be allowed access to jobs without mistreatment, have a roof over their head, and access to healthcare and that the people they love and the way they dress should not affect that.  

This order will protect LGBTQ+ individuals from discrimination at any age. Children will now be able to use the correct restrooms and locker rooms in school as well as be able to participate in school sports. Adults will not be able to be discriminated against for healthcare, another thing Trump wanted to allow, and will not be able to be fired, mistreated, or demoted at jobs. However, many people seem to have a problem with this. Why though?  

In the last week many conservatives have had a lot to say about Biden’s actions. Social media platforms are full of arguments that transgender rights threaten the rights of women, including the hashtag #BidenErasedWomen. Many posts say that women’s sports will no longer be equal and fair, and women will no longer be safe in women’s housing facilities. Saying that women’s sports will be taken away from women by allowing women who are transgender to participate is transphobic. The definition in the Merriam Webster dictionary states that transphobia is, “irrational fear of, aversion to, or discrimination against transgender people.”  

This executive order is allowing women to participate in women’s sports and men to participate in men’s sports. It’s also allowing children to use the correct restroom while at school. Biden’s executive order does not allow “creepy men dressed up in dresses” into women’s restrooms or locker rooms. It means that women will be allowed in women’s restrooms and locker rooms.  

Everyone should have the right to use the restroom and locker room that aligns with their gender and participate in sports according to their chosen gender. Also, this order protects those who are LGBTQ+ from being discriminated against at work, receiving healthcare, and having a roof over their head. It is disheartening to see people complain about not being able to discriminate against others. No one should be fired for who they love and who they are, and I believe everyone should agree with that statement. Another persons’ gender identity and sexual orientation do not affect us, it does not harm us, and it should not be something that others are so angry about. Transgender rights do not negatively affect women’s rights, they positively affect women’s rights because they allow women who are transgender the rights and access to things they should have had rights and access to from the beginning.