In the United States, trans candidates enter an explosive political arena

Photo: Kent Nishimura Getty Images via Agence France-Presse Sarah McBride, candidate in Delaware and almost certain to become the first transgender person to be elected to the United States Congress.

Robin Legrand – Agence France-Presse in Washington

Published at 1:14 p.m.

• United States

“When you have a target on your back, it makes you angry”: Mel Manuel never considered himself a particularly political person. But after repeated attacks by Republicans against transgender people, this former Spanish teacher is now a candidate for the American Congress.

In the United States, transgender rights are a hot topic in the campaign for the November 5 presidential and legislative elections, the latest in the culture wars that are shaking the country.

Mel Manuel is a non-binary transgender person, meaning they do not identify as either male or female, and who uses the gender-neutral pronouns “they/them” in English.

Head of an association that helps people access abortions in Louisiana, in the southern United States, Mel Manuel chose to enter the political arena at the age of 40, despite his initial aversion to revealing his private life.

The Democratic candidate recently went so far as to publish a campaign video on Instagram in which he can be seen injecting himself with testosterone.

“I wanted to show something raw and personal,” says Mel Manuel, whose stated campaign goal is to “normalize being queer and trans.”

Facing Steve Scalise — a leading Republican in Congress — Manuel knows his chances of winning are “super slim,” but his candidacy was motivated in part by the “over 1,000 anti-LGBT+ bills” that have been introduced across the country over the past four years.

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“Wacky Accusations”

The very presence of transgender people in the public sphere, their participation in sports competitions, and access to transition care before they turn 18 have sparked heated debates within society American.

When Democrats call for unequivocal protections for transgender people, Republicans denounce a dictate of political correctness.

And the debate has even spilled over into the White House race, with Donald Trump accusing his rival Kamala Harris of siding with transgender people over the average American.

The former president has repeatedly said that American students undergo sex change operations at school, a claim that is unfounded.

“They can make any wild accusation and people will believe them,” laments Mel Manuel, believing that such false claims “hurt our community.”

During his campaign, Mel Manuel was confronted with numerous hate messages on social media, mainly on X (ex-Twitter).

As an illustration of the weight of the issue, the Republican camp has already spent more than $82 million to broadcast “anti-trans” ads in recent months, according to the media outlet Axios.

“These ads are a last-ditch attempt to stir up the conservative base with divisive rhetoric,” believes Sean Meloy, vice president of political programs at the LGBTQ+ Victory Fund, an organization that supports candidates who identify as gay, lesbian, or transgender.

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« Antidote to Hate »

But he says the ads are far from being effective: “The data shows that this attack on LGBT+ rights and trans youth is turning voters away, not attracting them.”

And “LGBT+ people running for office across the country are the antidote to this hateful rhetoric,” Meloy says.

The LGBTQ+ Victory Fund has identified more than 62 transgender candidates across the country this year, nearly double the 34 in 2020.

Among them is Sarah McBride, a candidate in Delaware who is almost certain to become the first transgender person elected to the US Congress.

While she says she is aware of her image as a pioneer, the candidate recently told CBS that her priorities in Congress would be mainly the subjects of the cost of child care, housing, health care and even abortion rights.

A sentiment echoed by Mel Manuel, who says he has included workers' rights among his most important campaign issues.

“I like to imagine that one day, I hope, the fact that I am trans will be as notable as the fact that I am left-handed,” says Mel Manuel. “But for the moment, we are not there.”