It's easy to justify staying out of politics. Often debates lead to unproductive arguments that damage relationships and just aren't fun to talk about. People exist in all forms and have priorities all over the place; the folks we elect hopefully represent the majority of their constituents accurately and will advance their interests accordingly. That's how democracy is supposed to work.

Unfortunately for queer, non-binary, and other LGBTQIA+ humans, staying out of it is not a privilege we get to enjoy, because like it or not, our queerness takes us out of "the majority". Staying out of politics leads to the situation that is currently present in the Dakotas, which is why this episode is coming out right now. As they say; haters are gonna hate and hateful legislators are gonna hatefully legislate.

South Dakota recently passed a swath of anti-LGBTQIA+ bills, including criminalizing gender-affirming care for trans youth in record time; they went from proposed to law (signed sealed and delivered courtesy Governor Nome) within 7 days. That is insane. I have worked with state governments for years in my career and often you're lucky to get a response to an email within a week, so the idea 

North Dakota, always wanting to one-up their southern counterpart, is close behind with similar legislation.  These bills (summarized excellently here-thanks Faye Seidler Consulting) are going up for vote on 3-1 in North Dakota. They include criminalizing gender affirming care, criminalizing drag shows, and disqualifying trans athletes from participating in sports. 

Take a listen to this exceptional interview with the articulate, bold, and brave Dr. Mayson Bedient as we dive in on what gender-affirming care is, what it does for queer youth who contemplate transitioning to a different gender than they were born in, and how this legislation will effectively make the state uninhabitable for trans youth. 

To carry on with the rhyming scheme: 

This episode is not a debate.
It exists to inform and educate
so we can build momentum and change the votes of elected officials
before they institutionalize discrimination in our state

If you can listen and share, that'd be great.

PS- contact your representatives and remind them that queer people exist in ND and belong here and that this short-sighted legislation is going to continue to tip the scales against North Dakota becoming a hub for diverse, inclusive businesses and communities. Faye Seidler also has a handy tracker to see how each representative has voted historically that can be found here.