Honesty... Should It Be Withheld?

    President Trump and the GOP make trans people out to be violent and mentally ill.  Facts, however, do not support their claims.  If they were honest about the trans community it would still be a mark against us, but it wouldn't have the effect they're hoping for.  The first truth that they don't want to be widely known is that the American Psychological Association has determined that, while we do face challenges, trans people are not mentally ill.  The second truth they're covering is that data shows trans people are more likely to be the victims of violent crimes, rather than the perpetrators of said crimes.

    The key to defeating  them in this is to present the truth.  That truth can be easily found doing a simple internet search.  For instance, enter into your search bar, "What does the American Psychological Association say about being transgender?"  You'll find a plethora of information, such as the APA's ground breaking policy in favor of the trans community.  Or answers to common questions that cisgender people tend to ask.  We cannot, however, defeat their lies with lies of our own.  Yes, being honest and open in the face of almost certain bigotry is scary, and it might be dangerous, but it's the best way, overall, to furthering our cause.  What is not the best way is lying about who we are.

    I recently made a post in a private group on Facebook telling about my experience in a job interview.  I had divulged the information that I'm trans to the interviewer, after which point his attitude toward me changed.  Long story short, I didn't get the job.  Several people told me it wasn't the employer's business and that I shouldn't tell.  I maintain that it is their business.  Having a trans person in their employ may, or may not, effect the business.  They have every right to have this information in order to make a properly informed decision.  If the employer hires a person who they later learn is trans, and if that trans person's presence becomes a liability for the business, the employer is well within their rights to discharge the trans employee on the grounds of not being honest.  Especially if, during the course of the interview, they ask, "Is there anything I should know?"  (Yes, they sometimes ask that.)  Now, if you don't tell them, you've set yourself up for failure.  On top of that, you've just created grounds for them to repute you as a liar.  Society at large will equate your dishonesty and integrity to that of the entire transgender community.

    We members of the transgender community cannot afford to think that our actions will only affect ourselves and those nearby.  They can either hurt, or help, the whole of the transgender community.  How the people around you view you will determine how they view all transgender people.  You are, therefore, responsible to all transgender people to live to a higher standard.

    I was told that I should have withheld my truth from the interviewer.  The hell I should have!  With Trump and the GOP wrongfully telling society that trans people are violent and mentally ill, should I give them reason to think we're dishonest and untrustworthy?  That's not the image I want to convey.  Someone told me, "You can't talk about being honest, because of the way you were in the past".  But, I'm not that person anymore.  So... yes, I can, and I have to for the good of the trans community.  Because no one member of a community is responsible only for themselves.  They also carry an innate responsibility for the whole community.  Even if they don't like it.

    So... to answer the question asked in the title:  No!  Honesty should not be withheld.  It may not always be pretty, but honesty is always necessary.