Louisiana LGBTQ activists march on state capitol and governor’s mansion
Baton Rouge, LA – On April 12, around 50 LGBTQ people and their supporters gathered for a united march at the Louisiana State Capitol building. The protest was mainly attended by transgender teens from across Louisiana, flying trans flags and waving signs. LGBTQ minors are the target of at least ten right-wing bills in the state legislature. These bills include potential bans on LGBTQ-themed books, restrictions on trans medical care, and bans on teachers using correct names and pronouns.
Organizers from Real Name Campaign led chants like “Trans kids are here to stay, GOP go away,” while the protest marched in the streets surrounding the building. The march then stopped in front of the gate to the governor’s mansion. Louisiana’s Democratic Governor John Bel Edwards has not taken a public stance on the anti-LGBTQ legislation. Protesters demanded that he commit to vetoing all bigoted bills.
At Edwards’ mansion, the protesters laid down in a driveway for a die-in that blocked the entrance gate. After speeches at the governor’s mansion, protesters marched back to the steps of the capitol.
On the steps, the protest turned up the volume and chanted towards the building during the busy third day of the Louisiana legislative session. Trans youth and their supporters participated in an open mic speakout, sharing a range of experiences with repression and resistance in different parts of the state.
While all of the anti-trans bills have been filed by Republicans, Louisiana Democrats have been unstable allies to trans people, at best. Serena Sojic-Borne, an organizer with Freedom Road Socialist Organization, told the crowd, “The Democrats won’t put up a fight until we make them!”
During the open mic, trans youth pointed to the harsh treatment they face at the hands of school administrators. They explained how bills like HB 81 and HB 466 that would worsen this. These bills attempt to force teachers to use their “dead-names” and incorrect pronouns, as well as criminalize discussion of sexuality in schools.
Students made repeated mention of the disproportionate rates of self-harm among LGBTQ teenagers. They said that statistic could become even worse if they do not organize to defend each other and defeat the current legislation.