1. United States
2. Mich.
3. Letter

I am writing to urge you to take immediate action to protect transgender, nonbinary, and intersex Americans from escalating attacks on their civil rights and safety. Multiple genocide scholars, including former presidents of the International Association of Genocide Scholars, have issued warnings that the United States may be in the early stages of a genocidal process against these communities. Dr. Gregory Stanton, former president of the International Association of Genocide Scholars and founder of Genocide Watch, has described current attacks as a "genocidal" attempt "to destroy a gender group." Dr. Elisa von Joeden-Forgey, president of the Lemkin Institute, believes the U.S. is in "early-to-mid stages of a genocidal process." These are not alarmist claims but professional assessments from experts who study patterns of mass atrocities. The evidence supporting their concerns is substantial. Transgender Americans comprise roughly 1% of the U.S. population, the same percentage as Jews in 1933 Germany. Murders of transgender people doubled between 2017 and 2021. More than half of U.S. states now restrict youth access to gender-affirming care and transgender participation in youth sports. Twenty states have explicit transgender bathroom use regulations. The NIH defunded LGBTQIA+ related research in 2025, and recent executive orders have eroded nondiscrimination protections and healthcare access. Genocide scholars emphasize that genocidal processes begin with less violent techniques before escalating. Bathroom bills give non-state actors tacit approval to commit violence. Policies that make life intolerable for people living authentically drive increased suicide rates. Dr. von Joeden-Forgey warns that once genocide is present against one group, the state will commit other mass atrocities, threatening democracy itself. I urge you to publicly oppose all legislation that restricts healthcare access, bathroom use, and civil rights protections for transgender Americans. Sponsor or co-sponsor legislation that strengthens hate crime laws and eliminates legal defenses like the "trans panic defense." Speak out against rhetoric that dehumanizes these communities. The time to act is now, before these patterns escalate further.