Dear Representative Suozzi,
As progressive Jews and allies in your district, we write to you today to state our disappointment at your recent comments about transgender people, and particularly transgender youth.
In a moment in which marginalized communities, including LGBTQ+ communities and particularly the trans community, are bracing for the repercussions of a second Trump administration, it is more important than ever that we resist normalizing right wing efforts to demonize and scapegoat our LGBTQ+ neighbors. Trans girls are girls, and to imply otherwise is deeply harmful and lends credence to the right wing’s overall extreme agenda which threatens the rights of all marginalized individuals. Our trans and gender nonconforming youth already face adversity and violence, and here in New York, we can and must do better.
As Jews, we believe that every single person was created b’Tzelem Elohim, in the image of the Divine. Transgender people, and transgender children are beloved members of our Long Island community, our Jewish community, our Bend the Arc chapter, and our extended networks. We refuse to be silent when our transgender neighbors and loved ones are under attack by our adversaries — and by our allies.
Many of us are members of Bend the Arc: Jewish Action and worked very hard to support you in the special election and again in the general election. Collectively, we spoke to thousands of voters in this district, urging our neighbors to vote for you twice in the last year. As an elected leader, we look to you to lead for all of your constituents, especially those most at risk. Your comments are not the kind of action we elected you to take.
We know that you pride yourself on your ability to reach out to people across the ideological spectrum and reach compromises for critical legislative victories. However, capitulating to the right at the expense of trans kids is not an acceptable cost. Particularly when we have just successfully passed Proposition 1 in New York, demonstrating that supporting transgender communities is not only politically viable but important to a majority of New Yorkers.
Our Jewish history teaches us to be aware of those who attempt to build power by scapegoating the vulnerable. As we enter the second Trump presidency and prepare to face a Republican trifecta in Washington, we must reject right wing framing that facilitates hatred and oppression of vulnerable members of our community, including trans youth and adults.
We ask that you move away from these comments and recommit to championing the rights of transgender people in our schools, communities, and country– including in sports.