Erasure is violence

When I opened this blog section, I imagined I would use it to organize my thoughts on the various topics I enjoy exploring. Like many others, I used to believe that progress was a one-way path… that once we had fought for freedom, once we had debated and reasoned our way toward justice, there would be no turning back. We were, I thought, far from perfect but liberal enough to make space for everyone, even those with opposing views, without feeling the need to eradicate identities or, ultimately, the people who bear them.

I was wrong.

In the United States, an ultra-conservative government—harboring various toxic ideologies, from libertarian extremism to neo-Nazism and ultra-Christian nationalism—is systematically working to erase trans people. This is not just reactionary policy. It is a deliberate strategy: removing mentions of trans existence from official records, destroying research and information, cutting funding for medical care, restricting movement, and stripping people of their legal identification.

We’ve seen this before. History is clear: before every genocide, there is dehumanization, administrative erasure, and the systematic stripping of basic rights. What is happening in the U.S. right now is not just a national issue. It is a warning to the rest of the world.

In Europe, we have not yet fallen under the rule of such extremists. But vigilance is not enough. Action is needed. The EU has already granted refugee status to Afghan women fleeing persecution under the Taliban. We must now recognize that trans people fleeing state-sanctioned persecution in the U.S. deserve the same protection.

We have the power to push for change. Write to your EU representatives. Demand that individuals escaping systemic discrimination in the U.S. be recognized as eligible for refugee status under the Common European Asylum System (CEAS).

Borders should not be walls. They should be sanctuaries.

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escapingsystemicdiscrimination.pdf

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Medusa, watercolor & metallic gold leaf, 2024