LETTER: Creating a permission structure for hate

Political journalist Michael Kinsley wrote, “A gaffe is when a politician tells the truth — some obvious truth he isn’t supposed to say.” Nevada Lt. Gov. Stavros Anthony recent committed what is known as the “Kinsley gaffe.” According to the Review-Journal, he has “led much of the public politicking” on transgender issues in the state and said in an interview that he didn’t know how many transgender athletes were playing in Nevada. In other words, the proposed constitutional amendment on transgender athletes isn’t solving a problem, it’s creating a permission structure for hate.

We live in a “show me your papers” America, requiring that brown people need to carry their proof of legal status and women need to carry their birth certificates to use public restrooms or compete in sports.