Letters—There is still time to beat back Trump’s transphobia

We must fight against Trump’s transphobic policies (Pic: Guy Smallman)

Since Donald Trump’s inauguration, transgender people in the United States have seen themselves scrubbed from public life.

The Stonewall National Monument, which recognised the leading role of transgender activists in fighting for LGBT+ liberation, now uses the term LGB, erasing their role. Terms such as “gender” “transgender”, “LGBT” and “non-binary” are also being banned.

Sections of the LGBT+ movement have compared it to the Nazi raid on the Institute for Sexual Science in 1933. The Institute performed some of the first gender affirming surgeries and early LGBT+ research. Nazis raided it in a campaign against Magnus Hirschfeld, the Institute’s gay Jewish director.

The fear of fascism is understandable when the far right wish to “eradicate transgenderism”.

But this comparison misses the conditions created in Nazi Germany.

The Nazis wanted to remove LGBT+ people from society and smash the LGBT+ liberation movement. The Institute’s destruction was part of a project to crush any resistance.

The attack was a reaction led by a fascist street movement. Tens of thousands joined the raid and book burnings. It was precisely this mobilisation of a section of German society against “undesirables” that led to LGBT+ people dying in the camps.

In the US, no such fascist movement is big enough to replicate this now.

The Nazis sought to physically destroy resistance as part of constructing their “racially pure” regime.

Instead of giving into despair, it is the US left’s job to build the resistance to beat back Trump’s far right and transphobic agenda.

Sky Harrison, Manchester

Down with the crown

King Charles and queen Camilla’s visit to Middlesbrough last week was an insult to the town and its people.

The taxpayers’ money that was wasted on his flying visit could have been much better spent in one of the poorest towns in Britain.

According to a recent survey by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation charity, 43 percent of children in Middlesbrough live in poverty. That’s nearly double the average for north east England, which stand at 21 percent. This number will almost certainly increase because Labour has kept the cruel two child benefit cap.

The Foundation also points out that this is a result of a ‘‘political choice to tolerate’’ these levels of poverty and destitution.

A spokesperson for the demonstration criticised the fact that the council poured money into the royal visit while cutting services and raising taxes.

I was proud to be part of a substantial number of people who told the king in no uncertain terms that he and his parasitic family are not wanted.

Why should we obey a king whose only qualification is being born into power?

Down with the crown

Lee Stewart, Middlesbrough

Royal Navy shows the limits of British power

Labour is pushing for higher “defence” spending after Donald Trump’s shift over Ukraine.

But the shaky state of the British Royal Navy shows how hollow Labour’s posturing is.

Once the main projector of Britain’s imperial power for centuries, today it consists of just 25 warships.

There are two aircraft carriers, six destroyers, eight frigates, nine submarines—some of which are in refit or are “mothballed”.

These carriers have spent more time under repair than at sea. Never fear though, it has 40 admirals, paid between £108,200 and £250,000 a year.

That doesn’t include the king who’s head of the Royal Navy. Along with the Prince of Wales, he receives rent from the Royal Navy as some of its bases are on their land.

Military spending is a desperate attempt to regain our past imperial position.

We should continue to oppose military spending, and call for an end to imperial wars across the world.

Keith Prince, Norwich

Changing attitudes

I would take issue with Thomas Foster’s article, Why does Channel 4 promote racist bile? (Socialist Worker, 12 February). He missed the most significant part of the series.

There were appalling racist comments early on. But in the final episode, the initial racist attitudes of participants had been completely changed. That was after they met refugees in the Calais camps.

It ended with them saying in unison on the Dover beach, “Refugees are welcome here.”

Martin Sleath, Nottingham