An introduction
Hello, hello! Thanks for joining me here on Substack. I will be playing with all of the features in the days to come — and hopefully working on a title (suggestions appreciated!) — but in the meantime, I wanted to tell you a bit about myself and what I envision for this space.
I’m Jennifer Harris Dault. I’m a queer, cisgender woman. I am an ordained minister and pastor a truly phenomenal Mennonite church in St. Louis, MO. I’m the parent of two amazing kiddos, one of whom happens to be transgender.
As you might be aware, Missouri’s government is a Republican super majority, which means that for years now, I have been traveling regularly to Jefferson City to beg my government to stop bullying my kid. This year, like red states across the country, our state government made attacking trans kids their legislature priority. Last week, on the final week of session, two bills passed the House that are now waiting on the Governor’s signature (something he has already stated he is thrilled to provide): SBs 39 and 49. These bills ban trans athletes in kindergarten through college from playing on sports teams aligned with their gender and ban those under 18 from receiving gender-affirming healthcare. The healthcare ban has a grandfather clause allowing those already on puberty blockers or HRT to continue their treatment for the next four years.
My daughter is too young for the grandfather clause to be of value.
Trans people and families of trans kids have been in a panic. This panic isn’t particularly new, but these bills passing adds an extra layer of urgency. Every single member of the trans community I’ve talked to has had conversations about when to leave and where to go. The possibility of becoming political refugees is commonplace in our conversations.
I intend to use this space to tell the story of my family as well as the stories of other trans people and families of trans kids. My hope is to showcase the amazing people who are being brutalized by laws that are built on deceit and hate. I want you to picture all of us when you hear news stories about anti-trans legislation and when you hear politicians attempt to make us out to be monsters. I hope this becomes a place with stories that you will want to share with your friends and communities, with people who don’t think they have ever met a trans person, with people who have been taught that trans people and their families are scary.
Because I am hoping that you share the stories that will be posted here, I am going to work to keep most content free. I don’t want a paywall to be a barrier. So what is the point of paid subscriptions? Think of it like an NPR membership campaign. This work takes time. Your contributions will make sure that I can make the time to do it well.
While I fully expect to maintain a day job, we are anticipating our own need to flee Missouri. I have been looking for a remote position in LGBTQ+ advocacy, as I don’t want to leave the fight just because we may need to leave Missouri. I’ve been applying to jobs for a few months, but limited positions and lots of people looking mean that actually landing a position is difficult. Paid subscriptions mean that I can do this work and not have to stress too much about what job I find. If you are able to give and support this work — great! If not, you are always welcome here!
I believe with all my heart that it is our stories that will make a difference.