The red, white, and blame game: How America lost herself

If you’ve been living under a rock—or wishing you did—former President Donald Trump will return to the White House in 2025.

Cue the "The Imperial March".

The devastating defeat of Vice President Kamala Harris, in addition to Republicans grabbing hold of the Senate and maintaining a comfortable majority in the House of Representatives, has baffled many political pundits. Was Harris’ message more on good vibes than actual policies? Are Democrats too out of touch? Is it really about the economy? These were questions brought up time and time again since the loss.

But a growing number of on-air pundits and politicians have laid the blame at the feet of one group: Transgender Americans.

From Morning Joeto Democratic party members, individuals were quick to point the finger at trans issues being the ultimate loss for the U.S. Elections. Despite exit polls showing the issues for voters were economic and security—inflation and immigration ranking high on the lists—somehow, somewhere, trans-Americans were the latest to blame.

This is despite Kamala Harris and the gamut of the Democratic party ignoring trans issues from the first presidential debate to the final days of the election.

I say this with certainty and some authority, as I’ve observed each moment throughout the Democratic campaign. When Biden was in the running, trans rights were ignored in the debate; when Harris succeeded him and Tim Walz entered as a vice presidential candidate, trans rights remained largely ignored. From the Democratic National Convention up to her last interview with NBC, Kamala Harris sidestepped how to protect the rights and dignities of trans-Americans.

Instead of a clear policy, we were told (read: gaslit) to refer back to her record. Instead of addressing the question with NBC News’s Hallie Jackson, she said, “I believe we should follow the law,” after giving a passionate plea about how she would defend abortion rights and the right for (cis) women to have control over their bodies.

Trans rights, by and large, were overlooked and ignored throughout the entire campaign. So why choose to blame trans people?

Annoyingly, pointing the finger at us could be their way of saying that “identity politics” got in the way of the race to the White House. This is a bit unfair, given that identity politics is almost always in play during election season. Let’s take, for example, the “working class.” Yes, it is a classification. But, at the same time, it is often referenced to conjure up an archetype or image that voters can identify with. Some could interpret the “working class” term as code for saying “white men”—forgetting, however, that working-class individuals also include non-white, transgender individuals.

I think it’s time to be honest with ourselves: America isn’t angry at trans folks. America, quite simply, isn’t the girl she used to be.

The country is like that friend who went from the center of the party to the wallflower overnight. The friend you would end your night out at a drive-thru, laughing your ass off and taking selfies, to the one who doesn’t go out at all. She used to make fun posts on social media but now does nothing more than share memes and repost conspiracy theories. America has evolved into something we don’t know anymore. Possibly something weirder than we thought.

It’s just sad.

It’s equally sad to see members and pundits who support the Democrats, deemed the progressive party and a champion for the marginalized, turn around at point fingers at a targeted community. After an election that saw their opponents spend hundreds of millions of dollars with anti-trans ads, I thought they would know better. And why is it sad, shameful even, to support trans rights?

Defending the tired, the poor, and those yearning to be free used to be virtuous in this country.

We’ve seen the sheer excellence of Vice President Kamala Harris and other marginalized groups—regardless of color, culture, identity, or creed—time and time again, from the C-Suite to classrooms to homes and government. We must work twice as hard to get crumbs, have divine-like strength and time, but be humble about our success. All while ensuring our hair is laid, our outfit is fierce, and we carry ourselves with our heads high. Madam Vice President pulled together a campaign, hit record-breaking donations, and made campaign stop after campaign stop while reminding folks that she’s first and foremost servant of the State rather than vying to be its master.

This was the most public demonstration of “Black girl magic” on the most prominent platforms for the highest offices in the land. And, still, it wasn’t good enough for the electorate.

It wasn’t trans folks, wokeism, or the near-possibility of having a nonwhite female, daughter of immigrants and from a single household. We can say the issues were apparent based on those exit polls. Or, we can finally admit that this still-maturing country will come up with any excuse to overpass a highly-qualified woman for a convicted criminal who has made hate acceptable again.

As the nation approaches its 250th anniversary, it still has some soul-searching to do—if one was ever there.

But keep me and my trans siblings out of your mouths. We’re not having it today, tomorrow, or any other time you wish to find a scapegoat in the room.

Marie-Adélina de la Ferrière is the Community Editor at equalpride, publisher of Pride.com.

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