New York, NY – Over 300 people gathered in the heart of the Flatiron District to stand up for trans rights. The call to action was made by several different organizations that belong to the Rapid Feminist Response network, which responded to the Trump administration memo that was uncovered by the New York Times. The memo, put out last spring by the Department of Human Health and Services, was adamantly proposing that all governmental agencies narrowly define gender by the biological sex organ a person was born with.
Salt Lake City, UT – More than 70 people rallied in downtown Salt Lake City, October 27, to protest Trump’s proposed policies that would erase protections for transgender and non-binary individuals. Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) at the University of Utah organized the event, in conjunction with other protests by SDS chapters around the country.
Dallas, TX -On October 28, about 50 people showed up at Belo Garden Park across from the federal building in Downtown Dallas to protest against the Trump administration's rollback of the rights of transgender people. The protest was held by the Freedom Road Socialist Organization and the Party for Socialism and Liberation. The event began with a rally, followed by speeches and then a march.
Minneapolis, MN – Just days after a news of new Trump administration attacks against transgender people, transgender community members and allies responded with a massive demonstration of solidarity on October 28. Several thousand people – transgender, intersex and gender-expansive people, and allies – lined three and a half miles of sidewalks along Lake Street, from Minneapolis to Saint Paul.
Northampton, MA – Western Massachusetts Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) held a rally and speak out for transgender rights, October 26, in downtown Northampton’s Pulaski Park. Pulaski Park is a block from Smith College, and a short trip from Hampshire College, Mount Holyoke College, Amherst College, and UMass Amherst.
Tampa, FL – More than 50 Tampa area students and community activists gathered at the University of South Florida’s MLK Plaza, October 24, for a rally against Trump’s attacks on transgender rights. The protest was organized by Tampa Bay Students for a Democratic Society (SDS).
Minneapolis, MN – Steff Yorek, the Political Secretary of Freedom Road Socialist Organization, sharply condemned the Trump administration, October 22, for orchestrating attacks on the democratic rights of transgender people.
New York, NY – I was recently watching the documentary She’s Beautiful When She’s Angry, about the second wave of feminism in the U.S. In it, one woman said one of the main lesson that she's learned is that no victory is permanent, and that really struck me. No victory is permanent. And while I was watching this documentary, news hit my social media that Chelsea Manning had announced that she was going to take her own life. And I thought again how no victory is permanent.
Jacksonville, FL – About 150 people came out to a Trans Lives Matter rally, June 27, in front of Jacksonville courthouse to demand justice. The event was sponsored by many organizations including Jacksonville Community Action Committee, Coalition for Consent, Jacksonville Transgender Action Committee, Equality Florida, and Transgender Awareness Project. This rally was to honor the lives of the three black transgender women murdered here in Jacksonville.
