An open letter to Representative Moulton:

I am disappointed that your recent remarks (eg, Salem News, Nov. 13, “Moulton defends trans comments after backlash”) added a new issue for MA-06 constituents to face, on top of things like navigating teacher strikes, fighting brush fires, keeping residents safe, and advancing projects that your office has partnered with us on in the past, such as the Hall-Whitaker Bridge and McPherson Youth Center in Beverly. Your remarks about Democratic Party strategy may not be meant for us, since 65% of Essex County voters are registered “Unenrolled” (independent of either party). But since we’ve heard them, I think it’s important to help move us out of the cycle of provocation and outrage your comments fed. So I’d like to try a public response that simply says: I disagree with you, here’s why, and here’s what I’d like to see going forward.

First, I disagree with your recent comments about young transgender athletes and about efforts to show transgender and nonbinary people more respect. I believe your comments played into harmful and untrue stereotypes about members of our community, undermining past actions you’ve taken in support of LGBTQ+ constituents.

Here’s why: All our young people are facing enormous challenges right now, and there is ample research that lack of support (plus outright anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric/behavior) is associated with higher rates of mental health crisis among young trans and nonbinary people. Suggesting that a trans girl would be a threat to your cis daughters on the playing field contributes to that harmful, unfair burden. You are rightly proud of leading the effort to establish a national 988 mental health crisis line. It pains me to think that your words added to the pressures already leading young people in our community to call that number.

I also disagree because I think about sports and similar publicly-funded activities entirely differently. When I played on North Shore youth and public school teams growing up (including a “co-ed” all-gender, all-grade Swampscott Middle School soccer team circa 1992), my teammates and I learned how to practice fair play and respect, how to work as a team with people who were different from us, how to win or lose with dignity, how to get comfortable with our unique bodies’ own strengths and weaknesses, and how to build healthy habits. I think that’s what sports are still about around here, so I don’t see the harm in expanding any ways we define who gets to participate. When we recently debated investing in lights for the Beverly High fields, I listened to a heartwarming outpouring of support for the young people who participate in athletics and marching band. That kind of love, respect, trust, and support is what all of our young people — with all the identities they hold — deserve from us.

And here’s what I’d like to see going forward: Let’s try to be more constructive than combative. Beverly is home to some incredibly generous and effective advocates for LGBTQ+ and specifically trans rights. Beverly is home to some incredibly kind people who share your discomfort with the many ways in which our community is evolving. As we all try to live and work with each other, I hope we can agree that offering more respect and freedom of expression to transgender and nonbinary people does not restrict the respect and freedom of expression enjoyed by cisgender people. That speaking up on one topic does not mean we’re ignoring others. That responding to someone’s statements with disappointment, disagreement, or a different perspective does not limit that person’s freedom of expression. And that all of us are constantly learning.

I invite you to join me in learning more about why your comments struck such a painful chord for many. We can do that and simultaneously address the infrastructure, budget, and policy challenges that all our constituents — with all their complex, diverse identities — have brought to our attention.

Hannah Bowen, City Councilor at-Large, Beverly

Read the letter in the Salem News: https://www.salemnews.com/opinion/letter-disappointed-in-moultons-remarks-on-trans-youth/article_e25990fe-a2aa-11ef-895b-6b2a63fdc748.html