Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from New Orleans for Community Oversight of Police and Real Name Campaign NOLA.

New Orleans, LA – In May 2021, NOPD officer Gerry Paul raped a crime lab technician in his Mid-City apartment. He put her in a police hold while his gun sat on the nightstand. After the survivor reported this, Gerry Paul was arrested and suspended for 120 days. Paul’s bail was set at $25,000. This was low for his crime, and he was able to post it immediately. Within a month, the NOPD overturned Gerry Paul’s suspension.

For the next 16 months, the NOPD put Gerry Paul on desk duty in the 5th district. He still carries a gun and has first response duty in the case of a nearby crime. The case didn’t move forward and the survivor’s rape kit went untested.

After an inquiry from the Times Picayune in August 2022, the NOPD submitted a request for expedited processing to the Louisiana State Police Crime Lab. The lab has a backlog of 73,000 untested rape kits.

In September, Gerry Paul was finally charged with 2nd-degree rape. At his arraignment in October, he pleaded not guilty. New Orleans for Community Oversight of the Police (NOCOP) and the Real Name Campaign protested in and outside the courthouse, demanding that the NOPD fire Paul immediately and the court charge him for his crime. The NOPD and the court won’t give us justice, we have to demand it from them!

Gerry Paul is just one example of the NOPD’s failures. Every 10 days, someone files an intimate violence complaint against an NOPD officer. In New Orleans, the majority of survivors of sexual assault, harassment, and rape by NOPD officers are young Black women.

Current forms of “oversight” are toothless. The NOPD’s corruption and violence continues against civilians. We demand democratic community control of the NOPD because we believe in the right of New Orleanians to decide who polices our streets and how we are policed.

We deserve real democracy, and so we demand community control! We demand justice! It’s time we stand up and fight back! With community control, we can immediately fire and arrest cops like Gerry Paul instead of delaying and denying, all the while re-traumatizing the police’s victims.

NOCOP and the Real Name Campaign are continuing to demand Gerry Paul’s conviction and immediate firing from the NOPD. His next court appearance is at the end of January–we need all hands on deck! We need you to help with outreach, taking up roles at actions, or spreading the word. Stay tuned in by following @n.o.cop on Instagram or @NOCOP on Facebook!

#NewOrleansLA #PoliceBrutality #RealNameCampaignNOLA #NewOrleansForCommunityOversightOfThePoliceNOCOP

On Tuesday, July 12th, Mayor Cantrell took a cowardly stance of supporting the presence of Louisiana State Police in New Orleans, despite its ability and willingness to investigate, arrest, and prosecute abortions. The Mayor has publicly claimed “we’re going to do everything that we can to provide that safe haven in our community [for patients and providers of abortions].” But her stance on LSP demonstrates that she has chosen to leave New Orleanians vulnerable to state-level prosecution. Mayor Cantrell’s endorsement of Louisiana State Police is a clear indicator that her priority is to uphold criminalization, not to protect individuals who are seeking or aiding in abortion care.

New Orleanians want to make the city into a true abortion sanctuary by expelling Louisiana State Police. On June 24th, four thousand people joined us to march to City Hall to give this demand to the Mayor and other elected officials. The following week, over a hundred people called the offices of Mayor Cantrell and DA Williams to ask them for action again. Our movement compelled the DA to abstain from prosecuting the right to choose, we won a City Council resolution to restrict local funds from criminalizing abortions, we forced the NOPD to commit to non-enforcement, and we pushed Sheriff to refuse to jail arrests made to enforce the trigger ban. But we were disappointed and infuriated that Mayor Cantrell chose not to respond.

Continuing to seek a response, over 100 people marched to her home on July 1st and July 8th, bringing with them signs, speeches, and delivering a letter to her home asking for a stance on LSP’s presence in New Orleans. Still, Mayor Cantrell blatantly ignored them. After 18 days of trying to contact Mayor Cantrell, large numbers of community members showed up to the District C Public Safety Town Hall that she was attending and demanded a response. The Mayor finally stated that the city will continue to partner with the State Police. She tried to exonerate herself by saying that she is a woman. Despite our movement’s transgender leadership, the Mayor continues to ignore the impacts of the abortion ban on transgender men and non-binary people.

The Mayor’s response is callous and outrageous, as she has chosen to keep New Orleanians, and individuals from across Louisiana and the surrounding states, in danger. Attorney General Jeff Landry, who can investigate abortion cases, recently commented that people who want abortions should move out of the state. This comment is hateful and exclusionary, we know that the vast majority of abortion seekers cannot even afford temporary travel out of state to access abortions. Criminalization of abortion disproportionately affects Black pregnant people and providers, and it expands the power of bigoted state law enforcement in New Orleans. These same state troopers have the power to enforce Louisiana’s anti-LGBTQ legislation, including the Crimes Against Nature Statute. They have only brought more violence to New Orleans and we will continue to demand their expulsion from this city. We call on all progressives and those who care about the right to choose to do the same.

The City Council, while trumpeting its pro-choice resolution, just passed an ordinance to increase the surveillance powers of the NOPD. The state police is likely to get access to their data and use it to enforce an abortion ban. The mayor can prevent this but has chosen not to.

As a majority-Black city, New Orleans should have the right to not only be a sanctuary for abortion care but also to self-govern. As access to life-saving abortion care dwindles in the South, there is no time to act but now.

Signed:

Real Name Campaign NOLA

New Orleans for Community Oversight of Police

New Orleans Workers Assembly

New Orleans Democratic Socialists of America

Green Party of Louisiana

Freedom Road Socialist Organization – New Orleans District

#NewOrleansLA #PeoplesStruggles #abortion #RealNameCampaignNOLA #AbortionRights

New Orleans, LA – On November 19, over 100 trans activists and their friends defiantly gathered at New Orleans City Hall. On the day recognized nationally as Trans Day of Remembrance, their fourth annual Trans March of Resilience emphasized the struggles that trans people face to survive.

The year 2021 has been the deadliest on record for transgender and non-binary people in the U.S., according to Human Rights Campaign. In early November, Marquiisha Lawrence became the 45th trans person reportedly murdered. She was shot in her home in Greenville, South Carolina. This record broke the previous record of 44 reported trans murders in 2020.

Lead organizer of Trans March of Resilience, Milan Nicole Sherry, said “As we march today we firmly declare that trans rights are human rights. It is our obligation to uplift, expand and protect the rights of transgender brothers, sisters and siblings, including those who are immigrants.”

As the rate of anti-trans violence climbs nationally, Republican politicians across the country are advancing a new wave of anti-trans laws. This year, trans activists in Louisiana spent months fighting against four proposals in the state legislature that targeted trans youth. The movement defeated all of them.

Ed Abraham of the Real Name Campaign said “it was people like us and everyone here whose activism made our ‘representatives’ know that we wouldn’t allow them to attack us or to attack trans children.”

Speakers at Trans March of Resilience highlighted the disproportionate rates of violence and discrimination faced by Black transgender women and trans people of other oppressed nationalities. Two-thirds of the known killings of trans people since 2013 have been against Black trans women.

Another major theme of the march was the economic exploitation faced by poor and working-class trans people. “All trans people should have access to gainful employment,” said Milan Sherry, “and should get access to affordable childcare, affirming healthcare, and safe work environments.”

The march was a political statement and a cultural event, with community members sharing poems and marching under elaborate signs. A speaker from Freedom Road Socialist Organization drew attention to the need for people’s movements to unite and defend the interests of working-class communities, including trans communities.

For more information and statistics read Human Rights Campaign’s report: An Epidemic of Violence 2021 - HRC Digital Reports.

#LGBTQ #PeoplesStruggles #RealNameCampaignNOLA #TransDayOfRememberance

New Orleans, LA – On November 19, over 100 trans activists and their friends defiantly gathered at New Orleans City Hall. On the day recognized nationally as Trans Day of Remembrance, their fourth annual Trans March of Resilience emphasized the struggles that trans people face to survive.

The year 2021 has been the deadliest on record for transgender and non-binary people in the U.S., according to Human Rights Campaign. In early November, Marquiisha Lawrence became the 45th trans person reportedly murdered. She was shot in her home in Greenville, South Carolina. This record broke the previous record of 44 reported trans murders in 2020.

Lead organizer of Trans March of Resilience, Milan Nicole Sherry, said “As we march today we firmly declare that trans rights are human rights. It is our obligation to uplift, expand and protect the rights of transgender brothers, sisters and siblings, including those who are immigrants.”

As the rate of anti-trans violence climbs nationally, Republican politicians across the country are advancing a new wave of anti-trans laws. This year, trans activists in Louisiana spent months fighting against four proposals in the state legislature that targeted trans youth. The movement defeated all of them.

Ed Abraham of the Real Name Campaign said “it was people like us and everyone here whose activism made our ‘representatives’ know that we wouldn’t allow them to attack us or to attack trans children.”

Speakers at Trans March of Resilience highlighted the disproportionate rates of violence and discrimination faced by Black transgender women and trans people of other oppressed nationalities. Two-thirds of the known killings of trans people since 2013 have been against Black trans women.

Another major theme of the march was the economic exploitation faced by poor and working-class trans people. “All trans people should have access to gainful employment,” said Milan Sherry, “and should get access to affordable childcare, affirming healthcare, and safe work environments.”

The march was a political statement and a cultural event, with community members sharing poems and marching under elaborate signs. A speaker from Freedom Road Socialist Organization drew attention to the need for people’s movements to unite and defend the interests of working-class communities, including trans communities.

For more information and statistics read Human Rights Campaign’s report: An Epidemic of Violence 2021 - HRC Digital Reports.

#NewOrleansLA #PeoplesStruggles #RealNameCampaignNOLA #TransDayOfRememberance

Baton Rouge, LA – On July 20 at 11:30 a.m., a group of protesters interrupted the Louisiana legislature’s veto override session to denounce the proposed transgender sports ban.

Members of Real Name Campaign NOLA, a trans community organization, dropped a banner reading “Protect trans youth” from the balcony of the House floor. They chanted “Senate Bill 156 has got to go!” and “Trans kids are here to stay!”

Capitol police groped, shoved and choked protesters to push them out.

Eden Abraham, an organizer with Real Name Campaign, said, “Security immediately grabbed us and violently dragged us down the stairs.” He added, “Even after we said we’re calmly going down the stairs, we’re not resisting, we’re not resisting, they continued to snub us, pushing us into marble and concrete, our heads, our limbs.”

Protesters went on to hold a rally on the capitol steps. They condemned Senate Bill 156, which threatens to prohibit transgender athletes from playing from kindergarten through college. It would also green-light violations of kids to inspect their presumed genders. State Senator Beth Mizell authored the bill.

Mar Ehrlich of the Campaign stated, “We are here today to declare that trans kids are not the problem and will never be a problem.”

Abraham stated, “This is the same sports ban that has been introduced in 30 states in just the past year. SB 156 is part of a nationally conservative plan orchestrated by conservative lawmakers.” He also noted, “They’re more interested in fighting a cultural war that they’re losing than serving the actual needs of their constituents.”

The legislature’s special veto override session is unprecedented in modern Louisiana history. Republican Party leaders Page Cortez and Clay Schexnayder specifically called for the session to push the sports ban.

Governor Edwards vetoed the ban in June, calling it “a solution in search of a problem.” He stated that there were no trans athletes in Louisiana to be concerned about.

Toni Jones of Real Name Campaign and Freedom Road Socialist Organization responded, “SB 156 is worse than a solution looking for a problem, because trans kids are not a problem and do not need to be solved.”

She also raised attention to the Olympics recently banning several Black women for being “too masculine.” SB 156 has clear racist implications as well.

The Senate has voted 26-12 in favor of the ban, just the amount of votes they needed for a veto-proof majority. The House has yet to vote. The Senate vote proves the trans movement’s strength, since reactionaries had more votes in favor of the ban during the regular legislative session.

The movement remains ready to fight. Real Name Campaign commits to resisting all the state’s anti-trans attacks.

#BatonRouge #RealNameCampaignNOLA #Louisiana #transgenderSportsBan #PageCortez #ClaySchexnayder

New Orleans, LA – On July 11, 50 protesters took to the streets to fight back against Louisiana’s possible ban on transgender kids playing sports. Unexpected heavy rains drenched them soon after they started walking.

In the words of Toni Jones of Freedom Road Socialist Organization and Real Name Campaign NOLA: “We’re not out here worrying about this rain, we’re out here worrying about this bill!”

Senate Bill 156 threatens to prohibit trans kids from participating in school sports from kindergarten through college. The bill’s language singles out trans girls. It opens the chance to schools’ inspecting children’s anatomies to see if they’re transgender, which is sexual assault.

The state’s legislative session is over, and the governor vetoed the bill, but far-right evangelicals want it back. Ultraconservatives demand a special legislative session just to re-vote on the issue and maybe override the veto. The Democrat Party did not come out strongly against them. In fact, most Democrat legislators either voted for the ban or abstained during the regular legislative session.

The rally’s speakers called attention to these points. Protesters chanted, “Hands off trans kids!” and “If you don’t hear us, if you don’t see us, you better believe you’re gonna fear us!”

Real Name Campaign, the group that organized this march, called a phone zap to pressure legislators to vote NO. Sign up at tiny.cc/STOPSB156

#NewOrleansLA #PeoplesStruggles #RealNameCampaignNOLA #FreedomRoadSocialistOrganizationNewOrleans

New Orleans, LA – On May 7, a coalition of Louisiana’s progressive organizations gathered at city hall for a press conference on the state legislature’s anti-transgender bills. Supporters came from many ranks of the movement against gender-based oppression. These included fighters for sex workers’ rights, reproductive justice, and trans liberation.

Participants chanted “Protect trans youth!” and “Hands off trans kids!” In a collective statement, the coalition demanded an end to bills targeting trans people. It emphasized that transphobia has nothing to do with the needs of ordinary Louisiana residents. The statement called out the proposed laws for being part of “a cowardly and bigoted attempt to scapegoat and erase trans kids, to let them die and divert attention from social problems.”

This past year, the state legislature has considered two anti-trans bills.

The first tried to prohibit trans youth from accessing gender-affirming medical care without both parents’ consent (House Bill 575 and Senate Bill 104). “These bills would’ve effectively banned healthcare for trans youth and criminalized what I do,” said healthcare worker Cody Smith, representing Louisiana Trans Advocates. The medical ban insultingly entered the legislature on Trans Day of Visibility, but the movement quickly mobilized to shut it down. Over 100 community members came out in protest on April 1, and hundreds more made phone calls throughout the month. The ban would later die before leaving the Senate Health and Welfare Committee.

The other bill proposes a ban against trans youth of all ages playing sports (House Bill 542 and Senate Bill 156). Toni Jones of Real Name Campaign laid out that a sports ban “infringes on the freedom and autonomy of trans youth.” It would force kids into medical inspections of their genders, effectively legalizing the sexual assault of minors. The legislation died in the House but passed in the Senate at the urging of Senator Beth Mizell ®. The House Education Committee killed its version of the bill after an outpouring of opposing testimonials at the hearing. This same committee will soon vote on the Senate version of the bill.

Real Name Campaign NOLA, an organization fighting for accessible name and gender marker changes, initiated the press conference, which also highlighted the leading role of Louisiana Trans Advocates. The group spent weeks lobbying day-in and day-out at the capitol. It also organized phone calls and brought people out to share testimonials at the HB 542 committee hearing.

Jessica Frankel of the Louisiana Coalition for Reproductive Freedom called trans bodily autonomy a reproductive rights issue. Women With A Vision, an organization that recently pushed for the decriminalization of sex work, spoke in solidarity as well. Lakeesha Harris of WWAV summarized: “Trans people are not up for slaughter, period.”

Endorsements for the conference came from Real Name Campaign NOLA, Freedom Road Socialist Organization – New Orleans, Women With A Vision, Inc., House of Tulip, Mariah Moore’ TIDAL (Trans & Gender Non-Conforming Inclusive Development, Advocacy, & Leadership), Trans Resource Network NOLA, Louisiana Trans Advocates, and Louisiana Coalition for Reproductive Freedom.

#NewOrleansLA #PeoplesStruggles #RealNameCampaignNOLA #FreedomRoadSocialistOrganizationNewOrleans

New Orleans, LA – The Real Name Campaign wholly condemns Rand Paul’s repulsive and transphobic attack on Rachel Levine’s nomination. He was only taking the stage to spread bigotry and fear about trans people – in a time when trans lives are already under tremendous attack. Gender transition-related medical care saves countless lives and involves rigorous, even restrictive, procedures of access for adults and minors. But Paul harped incessantly on the non-existent threat of children’s “genital mutilation” and spewed insulting diatribes against hormone therapy. His particular focus on “infertility” shows his true face as a (trans)misogynist set on eliminating reproductive rights. Particularly, as trans boys and men gain more visibility, conservative backlash and threats against them, such as Rand Paul’s, increase.

This is coming on the heels of 2020’s record killings of mostly Black and Latinx trans women. Puerto Rico had to declare a state of emergency to handle its transphobic murders. The Republican call to supposedly “protect women” somehow leaves these women out. Nearly a third of trans and gender non-conforming teens have attempted suicide, yet this is not the priority for conservatives who claim to be protecting our children.

Meanwhile, we’re seeing a wave of reactionary state legislatures throughout the country plotting to ban trans girls from women’s sports. Republicans have most recently launched the crusade in Wisconsin, North Dakota, Oklahoma, New Hampshire, Kentucky, South Carolina, Mississippi, Utah, Tennessee. Louisiana’s so-called “Save Women’s Sports Act” helped spur the attack last year. This happens because of disgusting transphobia like Rand Paul’s, especially conservative attacks against already under-funded and under-researched trans healthcare.

We have to keep in mind that this conservative backlash is a desperate scramble to clamp down on the power of our movement. Also, while Democrats have paid lip service to the trans movement, they've done little-to-nothing to protect and promote fundamental trans rights and livelihoods themselves.

This is why it’s critical to celebrate movement victories and to keep gaining more, in Louisiana and nationwide. The fight for accessible name and gender marker changes is one important way forward to win back trans lives and dignity. Trans-led mutual aid initiatives have also played an invaluable part in defending trans people. We will hold our heads high and we will win.

#NewOrleansLA #PeoplesStruggles #RealNameCampaignNOLA

New Orleans, LA- On the morning of September 12, trans activists and supporters gathered in front of New Orleans City Hall for a press conference and community update. Participants celebrated the trans and gender non-conforming (TGNC) people’s victories of the summer, and talked about next steps.

Real Name Campaign NOLA organized the event, with House of Tulip in support. The Real Name Campaign is an organization fighting for accessible ID changes, like name changes and the “M” and “F” on IDs. Incorrect IDs insult TGNC people’s dignity and expose us to discrimination. House of Tulip is creating sustainable housing for Louisiana’s TGNC people. This organization’s Black trans leaders come from the oppressed communities that they fight for. Both organizations’ causes are essential for TGNC people to live full lives with shelter, employment and healthcare.

Dylan Sojic-Borne spoke for the Real Name Campaign. She highlighted how the people’s pressure forced Civil District Court to drop name change fees from $506 to $250 in mid-August. The Court only did this because they lost two business days when campaign supporters crammed their phone lines. More change will come from the people’s struggles. Full demands include non-binary gender markers (“X”) and accessible ID changes for incarcerated people. Next up, the group will take the fight to the Department of Motor Vehicles in response to its transphobic harassment and ID restrictions.

Milan Nicole Sherry spoke as the co-president of the House of Tulip. Her speech emphasized how TGNC people and supporters never stop the fight: “I’d like to give a shout-out to community, because community always shows up and shows out, and I never doubt that.” She announced that the organization has found a property, and will soon offer housing aid. She said that the House of Tulip will have a spot for donations by mid-October, and asked for clothing – especially jackets, sweaters and chest binders.

Toni Duplechain-Jones of both the Real Name Campaign and House of Tulip summarized the event’s message to Civil District Court judges and other officials: “If you don’t see us, if you don’t hear us, you best believe you’re going to fear us.”

Connect with Real Name Campaign and House of Tulip through social media and the following links:

https://saymyname.typeform.com/to/YsFj5E?fbclid=IwAR0biljgOtjl7szeBPFqPnt_YDbe8BcUvlD0jg9wgZr_hcjpQMxIAH1dz7o and https://houseoftulip.org/

#NewOrleansLA #PeoplesStruggles #RealNameCampaignNOLA

New Orleans, LA – On August 13, the Real Name Campaign NOLA celebrated a $256 filing fee reduction for name changes. The Orleans Parish Civil District Court dropped the fee from an outrageous $506 to $250 after a year of community pressure.

This marks an important victory for trans and gender non-conforming (TGNC) people in New Orleans. Incorrect names on IDs out TGNC people, exposing them to discrimination in employment, healthcare, housing and many other aspects of life.

Naming yourself is a fundamental right, so the courts deny our humanity by denying our names.

But trans communities are beautiful, resilient and defiant.

We won this victory after a year of struggle. The Real Name Campaign collected over 1000 signatures, led phone zaps of the judges’ offices, and turned out hundreds in rallies. The judges’ offices often either totally ignored us or even hung up on our phone calls. Yet after a fierce struggle, they finally gave in.

The fight continues: Louisiana and New Orleans still need to drop all restrictions on name and gender marker changes, and the new $250 fee is still too high. We will continue to apply pressure until we win our rights.

But government officials are not as powerful or intimidating as they want us to think they are. When we fight, we win!

#NewOrleansLA #RealNameCampaignNOLA #OrleansParishCivilDistrictCourt #nameChangeFilingFee #transAndGenderNonconformingTGNC