My name is August Stephens. I am an Honors student holding positions on several executive boards of student organizations on campus. I enjoy reading novels with friends, and writing poetry in my spare time. I like how rain feels but only when it is warm out. I am also transgender. 

On March 4th, 2023, a speaker at the Conservative Political Action Conference, Michael Knowles, was quoted saying, “If it is false then for the good of society and especially for the good of the poor people who have fallen prey to this confusion, transgenderism must be eradicated from public life entirely.” 

Before saying anything else, I want to make it abundantly clear that transgenderism is not an actual word, nor an ideology. This statement describes what could be considered as a historical comparison to genocide. Identifying as transgender is just that- an identity. If you are saying on public television that myself and thousands of other people should be erased from public life,  kill me then. Michael Knowles will have the blood of children, parents, friends, coworkers, and peers on his hands. If anyone shares with you that they are trans in the future of America, you are incredibly well-trusted. For the safety of our siblings, do not break that trust. 

Additionally, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene proposed a new bill according to Vice, “I introduced a bill called the Protect Children’s Innocence Act…,” where she continued, “that will make it a felony to perform anything to do with gender!” It is with my deepest sincerity when I ask Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, what will you do when a reporter asks why you chose to wear a blazer instead of a dress on national television? Why did you choose to straighten your hair instead of wearing it curly, like in your photograph on the United States House of Representatives website? The “Protect Children’s Innocence Act” would only force youth to detransition because they have no other option. Trans youth, until they are 18-years old, are usually left to socially transition, which includes using a different name, pronouns, or wearing different clothes, according to The Hill. The push of rhetoric which says children are often receiving any type of hormonal or surgical gender-affirming care under the age of 16 is simply a lie. 

Recently I received well-intentioned feedback that my writing lately has been too “bitter,” and that “there is no reason for that.” That I should only focus on the positives of the freedoms which exist in America to this day. Now, I am not saying that the social normalities today which are being defied are anything less than fantastic, but it should have happened a long time ago. Consequently, I realized long before turning 18 in 2021 that the world is not all beautiful. It is a disastrous, ever-changing landscape which humans are forced to navigate. 

I am allowed to express my disdain for the culture of anti-LGBTQIA+ behavior in this country. It is exceedingly concerning to me that people, including parents, government officials, and the general population of America believe being trans is a choice. Yes, because I would choose to be at a heightened risk of discrimination, murder, and suicide if facing little acceptance from my community, just because I am able too. If anyone is pretending to be trans and reading this, check your privilege. 

For those under the impression I am too disconnected from the people who share anti-LGBTQIA+ beliefs, it is quite the opposite. I am blood-related to a flat earther, I am the only left-leaning person in my entire family, and I have heard about every excuse in the book of how and why trans people should not exist. I can vividly remember the faces and names of people from my past who, too, have claimed that trans people are just confused.

If you were raised being called compliments which never felt like they suited you, forced into clothes which you would rather set on fire, or puberty was an exceptionally uncomfortable time for you- this is only a fraction of what trans people experience everyday. This is a natural expression of gender which has occurred for thousands of years. 

Point Park needs to take action to not invite homophobic, transphobic people to campus from this moment forward. The University of Pittsburgh College Republicans student organization is inviting Knowles and Riley Gaines to speak on campus. The University administration is actively refusing to consider the invitation as unacceptable. 

Point Park University needs to create a strong alliance with the LGBTQIA+ community to guarantee this will not happen. We need to protect the lives of the students who choose this campus. We are not the other Pittsburgh universities. Students gravitate towards Point Park for a reason, whether it be the community, academic programs, or location, we have to put in the work to maintain a safe environment for transgender people.