On the Fourth of July

On optimism and skepticism.

I am a fundamentally optimistic person. I find the best in people, look for the best possible outcomes, and try to let the world spin forward with those possibilities — hopes, really — front of mind.

At the same time, the work that I’ve done — law, politics, and journalism — involves, almost inherently, skepticism.

That combination of often divergent instructions means that, at 45 years old, I have decades of examining the world through a prism of hoping for the best and considering, well, the opposite — and everything in between.

Enter the Fourth of July.

Part of me wants to celebrate all of the opportunity — possibility — that I see for this country. I know that I get to live an unbelievable life in many ways because I had the good fortune of being born in this country and at this time.

Another part of me wants to scream at all of the horrors that we are inflicting — and continue to inflict — on people, here and abroad. The many ways we make it difficult for people to live a good life — or any life at all. And the very real dangers that exist for even further degradation of those possibilities.

Laws have been passed in recent years explicitly aimed at making it more difficult for our teachers to teach our history — on race, on LGBTQ issues, and more. Similarly, laws have been passed explicitly aimed at making life more difficult for transgender kids and adults to exist. One state passed a law this year aimed at making it easier for that state to kill people.

The state was Florida, where laws restricting teaching and harming trans people were also passed. Those latter two types of laws, of course, have been passed in many states, not just Florida.

And yet, to focus in on one of those issues, even in the midst of this awful year for anti-trans legislation, there are signs for hope. Judges in six states — including three Republican appointees — have ruled that these bans on gender-affirming medical care for minors are unconstitutional or likely unconstitutional, depending on the procedural status of the litigation. Additionally, 10 states and Washington, DC, have passed laws protecting transgender health care.

And, most importantly, individual people are standing up for their belief that America should be inclusive. That people like Ron DeSantis are wrong.

Trans people will continue forward because, regardless of what DeSantis or Donald Trump says, LGBTQ people have been and will be as much a part of this country as anyone else. And the trans people fighting today have support from me and many, many others who believe that their inclusion in America is non-negotiable.

And so, as this Fourth comes to an end, I’m glad that my optimism gives me hope for the future. And, ultimately, I’m glad that my skepticism will keep me working to cover the areas where I see us falling short.