By Shanti Hubbard-Bennett, age 14
The current president is spreading a lot of misinformation about the LGBTQ+ community, especially trans people. Politicians like President Trump are using misleading language to create fear and pass laws that target queer and trans folks. Being trans isn’t new, and it’s not dangerous. This administration’s definition of “sex” ignores science and the lived realities of millions of people across cultures and time. What are some of the biggest false claims being pushed now?
The government is telling the truth about gender and trans people.
❌ False. President Trump and other officials have been spreading false information that puts LGBTQ+ people at risk. They’ve made up terms like “gender ideology” and “transgenderism” to make being trans sound dangerous or unnatural. They’ve also tried to redefine “sex” in a way that ignores science and medical facts.
✅ What’s True: Experts agree: Gender isn’t just about your body at birth—it’s more complex, and it’s different for different people. Philosopher Judith Butler says “gender ideology” is a phantasm—which means something fake that people believe is real. It’s like a made-up monster that seems scary but isn’t actually there. This term was created to make people afraid of trans and queer people, even though they are not a threat. It plays on people’s fears, but it’s not based on facts. It just spreads fear and confusion.
“Gender ideology” is a dangerous belief system.
❌ False. “Gender ideology” isn’t a real belief system at all. It’s a made-up term used to make people afraid of trans and queer people. It’s often used in politics to push laws that take away rights, even though there’s no actual group or movement called “gender ideology.”
✅ What’s True: Being trans or expressing your gender differently isn’t dangerous, it’s just part of being human. People have expressed gender in many different ways throughout history and around the world. There is no secret agenda, just people living as their true selves.
Being trans is just a craze or a fad.
❌ False. Being trans isn’t some new trend or something people “choose” because it’s popular. It’s a real and natural part of who some people are.
✅ What’s True: People have expressed gender in lots of ways across history and cultures. It’s not just “male” or “female.” Being trans is just one part of human expression. So, why should anyone get to judge how someone shows who they are? Everyone deserves to be accepted for themselves.
Trans athletes have an unfair advantage and threaten women’s sports.
❌ False. Many people say trans athletes, especially trans women, are too strong or fast and ruin fair competition. But medical experts explain that hormone therapy changes the body a lot—lowering muscle mass, strength, and speed. According to the National Institutes of Health, there is no evidence of athletic advantage for trans women who have been on hormone treatment for many years.
What’s True:
✅ Trans athletes don’t threaten women’s sports, they just want to compete like everyone else. A study published by the British Journal of Sports Medicine last year found that hormone therapy that transgender women athletes receive may have several physical disadvantages when competing with cisgender women. The study says that transgender women performed worse in lung function, have a weaker handgrip, and worse lower body strength than cisgender women.
Trans people don’t need special healthcare because it’s “experimental.”
❌ False. Some people say gender-affirming care is unsafe or just a fad, but that’s not true. Medical experts have studied it carefully and say it’s important and effective for many trans people’s health.
✅ What’s True: Trans people deserve equal healthcare, but this administration, and the Supreme Court in Skrmetti v. Tennessee, are allowing states to deny life-saving gender-affirming care for trans youth. Major medical groups like the American Medical Association and American Academy of Pediatrics say this care is safe and needed. Denying it isn’t just unfair, it can seriously hurt people. Without support from the government for these kids, families are left to suffer and figure out how to keep their child safe and healthy.
Everyone deserves to live as their true self without fear, judgment, or discrimination. Trans people aren’t dangerous or new—they’re human. The real danger is letting fear and misinformation shape laws that hurt people living as who they are.
