Before sending another fundraising text, Democrats who voted against trans rights should try saying they were wrong, writes retired Space Force Colonel Bree Fram.

Republicans need trans people as an enemy, having already spent more than $60 million on anti-trans ads in 2026. Without us, they lose a scapegoat to distract from affordability, health care, and the war with Iran. They claim trans people aren’t real, yet blame us for America’s problems.

Democrats who accept that premise also accept the idea that trans people are a liability to be managed rather than members of the majority they need. Democrats should offer voters something to believe in. Defeating authoritarianism requires a coalition committed to caring for one another