1. United States
2. Mich.
3. Letter

I am writing to urge you to support policies that protect transgender women and reject legislation based on manufactured fears rather than evidence. The disconnect between data and public perception on this issue demands leadership grounded in facts. A January 2025 report examining 382 public bodies since 2022 found just four official complaints made against trans women in single-sex spaces. This statistic alone should end the debate about whether trans women pose a threat in bathrooms, changing rooms, or other women-only spaces. Academic Rosa Campbell's research in the History Workshop Journal further demonstrates that trans women are more likely to share experiences of violence with cisgender women than cause them harm. The reality is that trans women, particularly trans women of color, are disproportionately victims of violence. A UCLA Williams Institute report found trans people are four times as likely to face abuse, while a Crown Prosecution Service report revealed nearly three-quarters of trans people have experienced abuse. These are the people who need protection, not the ones we should fear. Despite this overwhelming evidence, a February 2024 YouGov poll showed over half of UK adults believe trans women shouldn't be allowed in women's spaces. This perception gap exists because, as collective Not In Our Name explains, people focus on attention-grabbing headlines rather than facts. Politicians exploit this ignorance to distract from pressing issues they find too difficult to address, using what NION calls "toilet hysteria" to paint trans people as threats. The case of Ashley Del Valle illustrates the cruel double standard trans women face. She was arrested for indecent exposure for showing her breasts, then housed in an all-male jail. Trans women are treated as women only when it serves to oppress them. I ask you to base your policy positions on evidence rather than fear. Support protections for trans women and oppose legislation that targets them based on manufactured threats. Those who gain from patriarchal systems use their power to oppress both transgender and cisgender women. That is the real threat we face.