My attorneys have told me time and time again that I should not post open letters to members of Congress under my own name. I have never listened to my attorneys. Therefore, please see below the email I just sent to Representative Nancy Mace of South Carolina’s fighting 1st district, in response to her repeated attacks on the transgender community and her ineffective governance over her district, her state, and the United States as a whole.
Rep. Mace:
I will keep my note brief. Your continued attacks on the transgender community do a disservice not just to South Carolinians, but all Americans. The legislation you have sponsored to harm transgender people does nothing to protect cisgender women. It only serves to strip away the civil rights and humanity of Americans who simply want to live their lives without hatred or ill will.
You generate a lot of drama on your social media platforms in order to stoke fear and loathing in the hearts of your constituents and supporters. But wiser Americans don’t buy it. Your acts amount to hate speech and lies, and making yourself the victim in this case does not make you look brave and strong. It makes you look cruel and pathetic.
Of course, I know you have weathered abuse in your life. I know you have shown support for LGBTQ causes, having sponsored the Respect for Marriage Act and being the lone Republican sponsor for the Serving Our LGBTQ Veterans Act. But I also know that you have a penchant for careerism. Therefore, I must believe that you have used both your previous support for LGBTQ causes and your current violence against transgender people as stepping stones for your political aspirations. If the American people don’t know your beliefs, why should we trust you to make decisions about our future?
But one thing is certain: Your hateful rhetoric and actions regarding the transgender community must end now. Doubling down will only make you look more foolish and continue to put you on the wrong side of history. In the future, when Americans look back on this period of time, I hope that they see transgender people as strong and resilient in the face of adversity, and that they see you as just another ineffective politician who wasted everyone’s time.
Sincerely,
Will Sisskind
P.S. To the readers of this post, please note: Trans people deserve the world. This website will continue to speak up for trans people. Thank you.