Washington, DC—The National Center for Transgender Equality has released a video of seven parents speaking directly to Trump judicial nominee and Texas Assistant Attorney General Jeff Mateer about his comments describing transgender children as, part of “…Satan’s plan.” The video shows the parents reading from a letter signed by 278 parents of transgender children, sent to Mr. Mateer, Senate Judiciary Committee members, the White House and to Texas Senators John Cornyn and Ted Cruz. To date, none have responded to the letter.
The video is on NCTE’s YouTube channel, and can be viewed at: https://youtu.be/mUTy8cuqCDs. Notable excerpts from the video follow:
- “It is hard to imagine a crueler thing to say about a child. Have you ever met a transgender child like ours? If you met our families, you would know that while children like ours can face a lot of misunderstanding, there is nothing wrong with who they are. As every reputable medical and pediatric association agrees, there is nothing wrong with being transgender, and children like ours can grow and thrive if they are loved and supported, just like their peers.”
- “As parents we are alarmed that you, as a state official and a nominee for a lifetime position of immense responsibility, would engage in rhetoric that not only publicly shames but demonizes our children and so many others like them.”
- “Hundreds of thousands of children and adolescents throughout this country are transgender, like our kids. Like all children—like your children, Mr. Mateer—they deserve to grow up knowing that they are loved and supported. Your statements about children like ours are the opposite of love—they are cruel. We urge you to apologize sincerely and without reservation to us and our families and all the others like us, and to clearly articulate how wrong and damaging your words are to children like ours—or to withdraw your nomination.”
NCTE opposes Mateer’s nomination, along with those of several other judicial nominees who have a record of hostility to equality for LGBT Americans and in some cases have actively worked to stigmatize transgender youth. The Senate is scheduled to hold a final vote on anti-LGBT nominees Joan Larsen and Amy Coney Barrett for federal appeals courts this week.
