3Thu-3D-5b: Transgender Rights—and Wrongs
Class | Registration opens 7/28/25 10:00 AM
Transgenderism is the hot spot in the American culture wars. Candidate Trump and affiliated PACs spent over $200M on ads during the 2024 Presidential campaign attacking Kamala Harris on transgender rights. (“Kamala is for they/them. President Trump is for you.”) On his first days in office in 2025 President Trump issued six executive orders circumscribing transgender activities. State legislatures have considered 701 bills in 2024 alone on the subject, with over 50 enacted. (In just the first quarter of 2025, 854 state bills were introduced.) The US Supreme Court issued two rulings in the past on transgender rights and will decide another case by June 2025.
This interactive course will parse through the rhetoric to consider the science, the law, and the history to discuss what rights transgender adults and minors should have, especially when in potential conflict with others (parents, teachers, women). The format will be primarily discussion based on the assigned readings.
Participants can anticipate approximately 1-2 hours of reading weekly.
Please note that this class will meet at the Fine Arts Center at Regis College, 235 Wellesley Street, Weston
Rachel Alpert
I taught high school English and then as a lawyer taught at Suffolk Law School. I have led lifelong learning course on “Freedom of Speech,” “The Rise of Religion in the Supreme Court,” “The Regulation of Food in the U.S.” and on James Joyce’s Ulysses. I am an avid fan of great literature, including Ulysses, which I have taught before both at LLAIC and at LLARC.