Baton Rouge, LA – On October 16, students at Louisiana State University (LSU) mobilized at the Board of Supervisors meeting to demand an end to LSU’s recent attacks on Title IX. While students gathered inside to speak, other supporters held a rally directly outside the meeting.

The protest was organized by a coalition of organizations including Students for a Democratic Society (LSU SDS), Injustice Reform, Feminists in Action, Tiger Prison Project, Freedom Road Socialist Organization and Tigers Against Sexual Assault.

During public comment, board members repeatedly interrupted Ziad Eissa, vice president of LSU SD. Eventually, the board had police forcefully remove him from the meeting. They also removed three other members of SDS who were waiting to give their comments. This meeting had a significant increase in police repression in comparison to previous ones, with officers from the LSU Police Department, Baton Rouge Police Department, and even an undercover officer from the local sheriff’s department.

When supporters learned that their fellow students were denied the right to speak, the rally outside intensified. Students ensured that their voices could be heard from inside the building. Chants like “LSU you can’t hide! Protecting rapists is a crime!” “ Hey hey! Ho ho! The BOS has to go!” and “LSU what do you say, how many girls got raped today?!” could be heard from inside the building while the board met.

The rally raised demands for the cultural centers on campus to be restored to their full capacity. It also demanded the restoration of Title IX offices like the office of engagement, and that LSU expel Damien Shanklin and all other rapists on campus. Students criticized the LSU administration for escalating its clearly racist, sexist and homophobic actions under Trump.

“Across the nation, universities and police work hand in hand to protect rapists, bigots and racists, while punishing students who dare to fight back. Why? Because the capitalist ruling class feeds on oppression,” explained Enola Guyer, a speaker from Freedom Road Socialist Organization.

Despite heightened police presence at the event, protesters made it clear that they will not quit fighting against the university administration’s repression.

“We want Landry’s lapdogs to know that we know who they are, we know what they stand for, and we will not stop fighting until our demands are met!” said Guyer as she closed out her speech.

The coalition has planned a week of action from October 19 to the 23, with a range of activities from an open mic night to a sit-in, closing out with a rally to demand that LSU expel Damien Shanklin. Shanklin is a rapist who was allowed on campus with no consequence, and permitted to play for LSU’s football team even after a LSU investigation determined he raped another student.

#BatonRougeLA #LA #StudentMovement #SDS #WomensMovement

New Orleans, LA – On October 22, the Liberate and Unite New Orleans chapter of Students for a Democratic Society (LUNO SDS) rallied as part of a national day of action against sexual violence and rape culture on university campuses. The day of action was called in response to the ongoing coverage surrounding the Cornell 57 and rampant sexual violence on college campuses in general.

At the rally, Loyola students expressed that their university had repeatedly failed to keep them and their peers safe and called for stronger systems of accountability from their administrators.

Speaking for LUNO SDS, Loyola freshman Jessica Monahan stated, “It is imperative that bodies of authority in our universities hear out and defend people like Jane Doe. Not only because it is their job, but because these people need to be and feel safe speaking out about their experiences.” Monahan continued, “What precedent does it set when sexual predators are made to pay for the trauma and dehumanization they've enacted with mere essays and suspensions?”

Incidents of sexual violence do not exist in isolation and are indeed a part of a wider systemic problem. Juleea Berthelot of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization spoke to the Republican-led effort to roll back Title IX protections.

“The rollbacks put in place are being used to protect the status quo as it exists. The ruling makes it impossible for there to be a real legal pathway to hold fraternities accountable for perpetrating sexual assault on campus and lets rapists know they can commit their crimes with little to no accountability,” Berthelot said.

Berthelot continued, “The rollback lets schools get off the hook for refusing to come to the aid of victims. It defends rich and powerful students from even being accused of rape by demoralizing those who come forward.” Berthelot finished their speech by reminding the crowd that “more people are becoming conscious of the rotten corruption and injustice allowed on campuses,” and “the struggle for socialism will only intensify as more people in the United States are forced to realize it is the only way to truly end rape culture and anti-LGBTQ attacks on campus and in our communities.”

The rally concluded with the final demand to convict the Cornell 57 and for justice for all survivors.

#NewOrleansLA #LA #StudentMovement #SDS #LUNO #WomensMovement #SexualViolence #LGBTQ

Minneapolis, MN – Thursday, October 8, the Minnesota Abortion Action Committee (MNAAC), Students for a Democratic Society at the University of Minnesota (SDS), and Women’s March MN Action Fund organized a rally and march starting at Van Cleve Park in Minneapolis to call attention to the prevalence of sexual violence on college campuses and to demand justice for survivors.

Around 300 people gathered to hear organizers and community members speak on the prevalence of sexual assault against immigrant and Native American women, about their own experiences with their own sexual assault, and in support of Title IX. Speakers also condemned the actions of the Cornell 7, the entire Chi Phi fraternity, and Cornell’s administration, emphasizing that while the spotlight is currently on Cornell, they are the rule, not the exception.

Nationwide, one in four women (and one in 14 men) experience sexual violence while attending college.

MNAAC organizer Ashley Taylor-Gouge stated, “In 1989, the UMN campus abruptly shut down the sexual violence center on campus after publishing group-specific sexual assault statistics on campus.”

Taylor-Gouge continued, “The university president said fathers won't want to send their daughters here if they know these numbers.” Eventually, through militant actions like sit-ins and demonstrations, the students fought and won those services back, demonstrating how harshly victims are silenced and what lengths they must go to in order to fight for justice.

Jana Williams, the aunt of Allison Lussier, spoke about her niece’s death in 2024 at the hands of an abusive partner, as well as the inaction of the Minneapolis Police Department in both preventing her death and investigating it, a fate disproportionately common for indigenous women like Allison. Williams declared, “Our bodies are not public property, our bodies are not prizes, our bodies are not something a man gets to claim because he wants them. We are all human beings and we all deserve to be safe.”

Outside of the University’s Athletic Center, MNAAC organizer Envy Matisse told protesters “Back in 2016, ten Gopher football players participated in the gang rape of a female student on this campus. These players were suspended, but no criminal charges were ever brought against them. To make things even worse, the rest of the Gopher football team threatened to boycott one of their games to stand in solidarity with these rapists. The head coach at the time, Tracy Claeys, supported this boycott.”

The march route took protesters past several frat houses on the University of Minnesota’s Fraternity Row, while attendees shouted chants like “We believe survivors! The rapists are the liars!” and “Survivors united will never be defeated!” Instead of joining or chanting with the crowd, members of these houses retreated inside and closed their doors, further proving the necessity of the protest.

The Cornell investigation arises at the same time that the Trump administration is gutting the Title IX protections that are crucial for prosecuting discrimination and violence on the basis of sexual or gender identity. While the Trump administration has targeted transgender people in the name of protecting women, studies show that women’s safety is inextricably linked to the safety of trans people, and that improving the safety of trans and gender non-conforming college students reduces overall sexual violence on campus. Trans people are also more likely to face sexual violence than their cisgender peers and deserve the same protection and paths to justice.

“Freedom to provide or deny consent is an intrinsic part of bodily autonomy, and for too long sexual violence has been overlooked and tolerated—by colleges, governments, and society at large,” said MNAAC member Isabelle Wattenberg. “The bravery of survivors to bring their stories into the spotlight is powerful, and we owe it to them to expose, shame, prosecute and bring their perpetrators to justice.”

MNAAC is a reproductive justice organization that fights for reproductive and trans rights, including abortion access, bodily autonomy and gender-affirming care. SDS is growing the student movement at the University of Minnesota, from protesting for Palestine to fighting for a sanctuary campus. Women's March Minnesota fights for women’s liberation, and Thursday night’s action was part of a National Day of Action to stop sexual violence called by the national Women’s March organization, with over 150 actions across the U.S.

The organizers of the Minneapolis event called for perpetrators, who are almost always men, to face consequences commensurate to their crimes.

Beth Miller is a member of the Minnesota Abortion Action Committee (MNAAC)

#MinneapolisMN #MN #WomensMovement #StudentMovement #Cornell7 #SexualViolence

Seattle, WA – On Thursday, October 8, more than 150 people marched in Seattle as part of a national day of action to demand a stop to sexual violence. The event started with a rally at the Henry M. Jackson Federal Building. Attendees wore “Hello, I am Jane Doe” stickers and called for the punishment of the Cornell 7 and all rapists.

The event was organized locally by the Gender Equity Movement, Seattle Handmaids, Seattle Indivisible, and Freedom Road Socialist Organization.

Lisa Weber from the National Organization of Women was the first to speak. She drew attention to the additional violence faced by immigrant women, especially those who are undocumented.

Many attendees wore teal, a color to raise awareness of sexual assault. Organizers talked to people at a table about further ways to get involved. Protesters brought signs such as “Justice for survivors” and “I am Jane Doe.” People angered by the Cornell 7, who had raped a woman and not been prosecuted because police did not listen to the victim, were motivated to act.

Meredith Ruff, a member of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization and former domestic violence attorney, said, “We will never achieve full equality under a system that profits from our oppression. Capitalism has no incentive to end discrimination against women and LGBTQ people when our subordination remains profitable. We have to fight for something different: socialism.”

The march was led by a banner calling for the enactment of the Equal Rights Amendment. The amendment has been ratified by enough states to become law since 2017, but because of how long it has taken, it has not been recognized. It would prohibit sexual discrimination. Chants included “Sexual violence has got to go” and “Say it once, say it again, no excuse for violent men.” The crowd cut through downtown Seattle, blocking streets and traffic.

The march stopped next to the King County Prosecutor’s Office. Zoe Mason of the Gender Equity Movement, who had earlier explained the failures of the prosecutor’s office to charge rapists, called for more action against sexual violence stating,“We are demanding that they stand up and they prosecute rapists. Do your job!”

The crowd then was led in the Chilean protest song, A Rapist in Your Path. Still blocking the intersection, people sang, “And the fault wasn’t mine, not where I was, not how I dressed, the oppressive state is a rapist.” The march then continued back to the federal building.

#SeattleWA #WA #WomensMovement #Cornell7

Fight Back! News Service is circulating the following statement from the Women’s & LGBTQ Work Team of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization.

The Freedom Road Socialist Organization’s LGBTQ and Women’s Work Team strongly condemns the Cornell 7 and the university leadership and police department responsible for protecting the rapists involved since 2024.

This case is just one example of the deeply embedded legal and cultural tools used by universities across the country to protect rapists. While fraternities, reactionaries, racists and bigots are given slaps on the wrist or not held accountable at all, students across the country are facing the threat of expulsion, suspension, or some other form of punishment simply for calling for a Free Palestine or holding a protest on their campus with a megaphone.

The ruling class isn’t satisfied with just maintaining the current system that protects rapists and punishes revolutionaries, they want to take things further. The Trump administration has further entrenched women’s and LGBTQ oppression by rolling back Title 9 protections. The legal ruling now only relates to biological sex, making it effectively legal to discriminate against people on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity on college campuses that don’t have statewide protections against these forms of discrimination.

The Title 9 changes also affect how schools must respond to sexual misconduct reports on campus, requiring colleges to have courtroom hearings and requiring an even higher standard of proof for sexual assault and harassment. Sexual misconduct was already difficult to discipline students on campus. This ruling makes survivors even less likely to report their attempts. In practice, sexual misconduct and assault are legal on the majority of campuses in the United States.

The Republican party-led attacks on Title 9 are more than a personal vendetta. They aren’t just a tool to use LGBTQ as scapegoats on campus. The rollbacks put in place are being used to protect the status quo as it exists. The ruling makes it impossible for there to be a real legal pathway to hold fraternities accountable, perpetuating sexual assault on campus and letting rapists know they can commit their crimes with little to no accountability. It lets schools get off the hook for refusing to come to the aid of victims. It defends rich and powerful students from even being accused of rape by demoralizing those who come forward. It keeps LGBTQ students in a state of fear and gives chauvinistic university leadership the opportunity to make their lives hell on campus.

In the long term, the rollbacks on Title 9 and the increasing attention on the Cornell 7 case spell doom for the billionaires and multimillionaires who pressure politicians and universities to protect and defend rapists and LGBTQ discrimination on campus. More people are becoming conscious of the rotten corruption and injustice allowed on campuses, and the struggle for socialism will intensify as more people in the United States are forced to realize it is the only way to truly end rape culture and anti-LGBTQ attacks on campus and in our communities.

Justice for Jane Doe! Convict the Cornell 7! End Trump’s attacks on Title 9!

#WomensMovement #LGBTQ #StudentMovement #Cornell #SexualViolence

Tallahassee, FL – On September 22, Tallahassee Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) rallied at the Integration Statue and then marched to Wescott Fountain to protest the unjust firing of Tally SDS Vice President Mariana Guimaraes from the FSU Victim Advocate Program for her role in SDS’s anti-rape culture campaign and her public advocacy for a survivor.

Guimaraes called out this decision, asking, “When an advocate says publicly, clearly, and with conviction that the systems we have are failing, that we need better for students, and they are terminated without a real reason, what message does that send to survivors?”

Speakers from other community organizations spoke in support of Guimaraes and discussed the extent of rape culture on campus and administration’s repression of student activists, including conduct charges for flyering to raise student awareness of a rapist FSU left unpunished.

Protesters chanted, “Don’t punish flyers, punish crimes! Student safety every time!” and “Expel abusers clear the halls, answer when a victim calls!”

Once the students arrived at Westcott, they were told they could not stand on the main steps because they had to make room for an event letting out of a nearby building, where FSU was hosting far-right former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Despite following those orders and making room for those exiting, they were told again to move because the fountain was reserved for pictures. Protesters continued to confront admin, including Brandon Bowden, an FSU administrator who has been placed in charge of the Title IX process at FSU and has refused countless survivors justice. Protesters joined together in chants calling out admin and the role it plays in upholding rape culture.

Tally SDS president JJ Glueck spoke on admin’s attempt to move the protest saying, “Admin claimed that we couldn’t protest by Westcott because Boris Johnson’s speaking event would be letting out in the same area. We knew this was a flagrant violation of our right to gather and make our voices heard. They tried to argue with us, but we stood our ground and held the protest in front of the administrative building like we planned to.”

The protest continued late into the evening, until admin said that SDS had to leave because they couldn’t be protesting on campus after sunset. Nevertheless, the crowd kept chanting for an additional ten minutes before moving across the street and kept the energy going.

Guimaraes’ firing and the attempt to move the protest by admin are yet more actions by FSU to stifle the student movement and repress SDS during its anti-rape culture campaign. The campaign arose in response to the failings of the Title IX process at FSU and the refusal to expel rapists unless serious physical bruising or injury is present. As FSU admin refuses to hold rapists on their campus accountable, SDS will continue this fight until survivors get justice and there is an end to rape culture on campus.

#TallahasseeFL #FL #StudentMovement #WomensMovement #TitleIX #PeoplesStruggles #SDS

Madison, WI – On September 16, the anti-abortion group Missionaries to the Preborn set up on Madison’s Library Mall, harassing students as they passed by. By 2:30 p.m., a group of students gathered in opposition. Bradley Keenan of Madison Students for a Democratic Society led chants with the student body to drown them out. A band had also joined, drowning out the group’s speakers.

Frustrated at student opposition, the group's speeches devolved into baseless arguments with students, claiming that evolution and abortion are “what Hitler believed in.” Students did not back down, instead they voiced that anti-science claims have no place on campus. As students continued to protest, members of the anti-abortion group became increasingly agitated until they attacked a student, ripping his shirt off. At that point, members of the crowd stepped in and separated the agitator.

Twenty-four hours later, the Missionaries to the Preborn arrived in Milwaukee on the UW-Milwaukee campus. Near 1 p.m., the agitators started to assemble around Spaights Plaza with signs of bloody, fake fetuses and began to try and agitate the student population passing by, which grew a crowd. Members of the Student for a Democratic Society at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee responded to the scene, and began to drown out the agitators, led by SDS member Alejandro Acosta, by chanting, “Our bodies, our lives, our right to decide.”

Other members of SDS Milwaukee, Hannah Grotto and Lauren Sroka, discussed with students who passed by about the frustrations of dealing with a group that was clearly harassing students as they walked through campus. Grotto stated, “I am extremely disappointed with the university allowing an anti-abortion group onto campus utilizing such graphic imagery. She added, “More needs to be done to protect students from these outside groups, especially if they were violent at other schools in the UW System, we need to hold these agitators accountable.”

This impromptu rally was the first for UWM-SDS to have this fall semester as it continues to create a safe and progressive space on campus for all students.

As Trump’s policies against the education system continually turn college campuses into a battleground for student rights, it is also a call to action for all students on UWM’s campus to call for its administration to end its complicity with Trump’s anti-education, anti-student and anti-reproductive rights policies.

#MadisonWI #WI #StudentMovement #WomensMovement #ReproductiveRights #Abortion

Lebanon, IN – On Wednesday, July 29, survivors stood together to protest the abuse and exploitation they faced while at the Refuge Girls Academy (previously Central Indiana Teen Challenge) and brought attention to an ongoing legal case against the academy.

The nine original plaintiffs have expanded to represent 35 survivors who are now fighting the academy's crimes. The long list of crimes of the academy include institutionalized cruelty, physical abuse, labor trafficking, forced malnutrition, religious indoctrination, humiliation rituals, conversion therapy, human trafficking and torture, amongst many more.

All of these crimes were committed against children under the authority of Dawn and Dave Rose, the director and CEO of the academy at the time.

Survivors partnered with Students for a Democratic Society at Purdue and began their protest right outside the academy chanting “Education! Not exploitation!” “This refuge is not safe!” and “Rise up women of the world, women of the world rise up!” One chant in particular highlighted just how many young women suffered under Dawn and Dave Rose’s control. The chant “If [name] don’t get it, shut it down!” went on to name 30 survivors in total. The protest marched across the street to a park where survivors shared their stories.

“20 years ago I entered Central Indiana Teen Challenge. I was 15 years old. I needed help, instead I was left with trauma that has taken over a decade to begin healing,” said Mandi MacDonald, a survivor of the academy. “I want you to understand something. When I entered Teen Challenge I wasn’t allowed to say goodbye to anyone. I was taken from my classroom in handcuffs, and on the way to the program I attempted suicide,” said MacDonald.

MacDonald survived. And after nearly a year at the academy, she eventually earned the “privilege” of a supervised visit with her parents. After the visit, she made an attempt to contact those who missed her on MySpace, something the academy strictly prohibited, and, upon confessing this to her unaccredited counselor, she was severely punished. “Dawn told me I had never admitted what I had done and that they had discovered it on their own. I told them that wasn’t true. I begged them to ask my counselor. My counselor did not support me. In that moment something inside of me broke,” said MacDonald.

MacDonald was stripped of all of her progress at the academy and forced into solitary confinement for two months. She was made to live off a diet of cold beans, bread, carrots and an apple for every meal. During this time, she was forced to perform repetitive remedial tasks which her OCD tendencies made impossible to complete, resulting in the academy banning her from speaking and being spoken to for months.

“Lebanon Teen Challenge broke a lot of things inside of me, but Lebanon Teen Challenge also shaped who I am today. It taught me to not be silent, it taught me to be courageous, and to never give up. And here we are, almost 20 years later, and I finally can speak on this,” said Emelia Neel, another survivor of the academy. “I will not remain silent any longer. I remember… staying up late with Brittany and Bridgett and we would talk about all the things we would do when we get out. Very similar to people who are in prison, except people in prison get to know when they go home. We didn’t!” said Neel.

The Refuge Girls academy preys on young women in vulnerable situations and violates the trust in religious institutions most people have. Parents often see the academy as a safe place to send their children, where they can overcome their hardships and grow up in a healing environment that some parents simply can’t provide. Many of the girls at the academy are orphans, and some homeless, before their time at the academy, a vulnerability the academy sees profit in.

One crime at the academy was unpaid child labor. Residents were forced to maintain the academy itself and were often trafficked across Indiana to perform heavy labor in extreme weather conditions for no pay, all while any medical concerns were completely neglected. Residents were sent to residential homes, religious institutions and universities, including Purdue and Butler University, where they would be made porters for college students, hauling their personal belongings and assembling heavy bunk beds. The children often worked 12 to 16-hour days.

This exploitation was not just a means of profit for the academy, but an avenue for cruel punishment as well. Minors were often made to clean staircases with toothbrushes or cut the lawn with scissors, all while performing every bit of cooking, cleaning and food preparation, as the academy refused to pay professional adult workers for that labor.

The academy brings in millions of dollars in revenue each year. The struggle to bring the Refuge Girls Academy to justice is an issue of women’s liberation, LGBTQ liberation and workers’ rights. Each struggle is connected and all necessary for justice.

Follow @sdsatpurdue on Instagram to stay up to date and join the fight.

#LebanonIN #IN #PeoplesStruggles #WomensMovement #LGBTQ #SDS #Purdue

Milwaukee, WI – On Saturday, June 27 Reproductive Justice Action-Milwaukee (RJAM) commemorated four years of resistance after the 2022 overturning of Roe v. Wade. Community members gathered for a rally, march and vigil to honor the ongoing resistance and mourn the lives lost due to abortion bans.

The event began with crafts, thank-you card writing for abortion providers, and tabling by various community organizations fighting for safe and sustainable communities. Representatives from Pro-Choice MKE, Milwaukee Anti-War Committee, Freedom Road Socialist Organization, and ACLU of Wisconsin spoke to attendees about some of the issues that continue to face the reproductive justice movement in Milwaukee and beyond.

Some of the issues highlighted were the need for clinic escorts, safe access to abortion providers, and the fight for liberation of women and LGBTQ folks through a working class revolution. Andrea Waters from Freedom Road Socialist Organization shared, “We must fight for the liberation of women and LGBTQ people. This includes abortion access. This includes fair wages. This includes childcare for working parents.”

To close the event, organizers and community members marched on city hall for a vigil to honor the lives lost due to abortion bans. These deaths were not inevitable, but the result of politicians choosing ideology over evidence-based healthcare.

The vigil honored the following lives that were taken: Josseli Barnica, 28, Texas. Yeniifer Alvarez-Estrada Glick, 27, Texas. Amber Nicole Thurman, 28, Georgia. Candi Miller, 41, Georgia. Porsha Ngumezi, 35, Texas. Nevaeh Crain, 18, Texas. Taysha Wilkinson-Sowbyeski, 26, Indiana. Ciji Graham, 34, North Carolina. Tierra Walker, 37, Texas. Adrianna Smith, 30, Georgia.

Carly Klein, a founding member of Reproductive Justice Action- Milwaukee, stated, “Reproductive Justice Action Milwaukee formed four years ago in the aftermath of the Dobbs decision, with the support of the Milwaukee Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression and Freedom Road Socialist Organization.”

Klein continued, “When the Supreme Court stripped us of our bodily autonomy and Wisconsin’s 1849 abortion ban was immediately reinstated, we knew that voting alone would not win back our rights. We knew it would take direct, sustained, organized action, and that is what we did.” The crowd cheered as she proclaimed, “In September 2023, abortion services resumed in the state of Wisconsin.”

RJAM understands and organizes around the fact that abortion access is not equitable. Carly went on to share. “Across this country, abortion bans have disproportionately harmed Black, brown, indigenous and working-class communities, Here in Wisconsin, Black women are three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related complications than white women.”

To build safe and sustainable communities for all, we must work together to address these issues and bans.

As Reproductive Justice Action- Milwaukee celebrates their four years of resistance, they continue to fight for the liberation of women and LGBTQ folks by calling for an end to crisis pregnancy centers and the immediate restoration of gender-affirming care at Children’s Wisconsin. No rest while there is no Roe, and no rest until everyone has safe, affordable and equitable access to abortion.

#MilwaukeeWI #WI #WomensMovement #ReproductiveRights #RJAM

St. Paul, MN – Around 50 people rallied outside Birthright, a crisis pregnancy center in Saint Paul the evening of Wednesday, June 24. The protest comes on the fourth anniversary of the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade. This decision ended federal abortion protection, thus leaving abortion regulation to the individual states. Birthright, the target of the protest, is a crisis pregnancy center. Crisis pregnancy centers are projects with the primary mission to block access to abortion services.

In Minnesota, abortion is legal, protected and accessible at all stages of pregnancy, but with neighboring states banning abortion outright, people are forced to travel to Minnesota, or carry out pregnancies against their will. Federal cuts to Medicaid have forced the closure of four Planned Parenthood locations in Minnesota (Alexandria, Bemidji, Richfield and Apple Valley). Planned Parenthood serves as the only providers of reproductive healthcare in some rural and underserved areas.

Aizar Cabrera of the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee stated, “Today, we’re seeing children who have been kidnapped by ICE turn up pregnant due to sexual assault. These children have then been forcefully relocated to Texas, a state with some of the most strict abortion restrictions, only made possible after Roe v. Wade was repealed in 2022.” Cabrera is referring to over a dozen pregnant unaccompanied minors who were sent to a single facility located in the small border city of San Benito, Texas. “We know this is not a coincidence,” said Cabrera, in response to these pregnant minors being sent to a state with a total ban on abortion.

The rally was organized by the People’s Action Coalition Against Trump. Speakers at the event included members of the Minnesota Abortion Action Committee, Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee, Twin Cities for Justice, the advocacy and organizing manager of Gender Justice, and a health care worker. All speakers talked about the need for bodily autonomy for all.

The rally ended with the crowd chanting, “We won’t back down from this fight – abortion is a human right!” Traffic on Snelling Avenue honked along, some in solidarity and some in disapproval of the crowd's plea for widespread protection of reproductive rights.

#StPaulMN #MN #WomensMovement #LGBTQ #ReproductiveRights #Abortion #RoeVWade

Milwaukee, WI – On Friday, May 29, members of Reproductive Justice Action-Milwaukee and dozens of community members gathered for a press conference and rally demanding that a local pediatric hospital, The Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin (CHW), restore access to gender-affirming care.

Since December 2025, Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin has denied trans youth access to life-saving gender-affirming care. Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin halted services due to the threats that the Trump administration made to retaliate against any health care facilities that provide gender-affirming care to youth.

The crowd chanted, “Kids need care, not legislation! Trans youth liberation!” and marched to the hospital. While gathered at a nearby park, the group heard speeches from community members directly impacted by the attacks on trans youth. 

Kelly Stewart, a mother whose child recently lost access to gender-affirming care services at Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin, stated, “As a parent, one of the most heartbreaking things I have experienced is the realization that my child's freedom to live, be known, loved, and valued for who they are, can be dictated by others in ignorant and cruel ways.”

Kelly asked the crowd, “When the largest hospital, that we entrust with our children's care, in Milwaukee submits in advance by suspending gender-affirming care, and gender-affirming care for all is under attack, what do families do?” and the crowd cheered, “We fight back!”

Jesse Goyette, a member of RJAM who received gender-affirming care from Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin, shared his personal experiences within a flawed medical system.

Goyette stated, “When I was a teenager, I would have never expected that the situation would be worse now than it was when I was young.” Ryan Clancy, Wisconsin state assembly member and father of two trans children, discussed his experiences meeting with the hospital’s administration. He explained it was “one of the most frustrating conversations of my life.” Ryan asserted, “They made a concerted effort to run over trans kids.” He highlighted how hospital systems, like Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin, continue to prioritize profits over care.

Eli Carroll, of RJAM, ended the rally by saying, “Just like anti-abortion organizations and lawmakers have politically pressured the current administration to remove or severely restrict access to abortion care, we see anti-trans organizations and lawmakers mimic the same strategy.”

Carroll continued, “RJAM recognizes these patterns for what they are, and will continue to be vigilant in all cases of humans being denied their bodily autonomy. We stand with the community in our collective effort to defend access to care, whether reproductive, gender-affirming, or otherwise- and stand with our partners to defend the right to access critical health care.”

​Reproductive Justice Action-Milwaukee plans to continue to fight alongside the youth and their families who have been impacted by the abrupt interruption in life-saving care. They call on supporters near and far to sign their petition demanding restoration of services at Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin.

#MilwaukeeWI #WI #LGBTQ #WomensMovement #ReproductiveRights #RJAM

Minneapolis, MN – On Mother’s Day Sunday, May 10, the Minnesota Abortion Action Committee (MNAAC) organized a pro-choice Mother’s Day protest across from what was an anti-abortion, Pro Life Action Ministry (PLAM) billboard.

A few days leading up to the protest, members of MNAAC learned the billboard was replaced with a local orthopedic billboard. Despite this change, they continued with the protest with about two dozen attendees to fight for comprehensive reproductive healthcare, oppose abortion restrictions and the attempts of “pro-life” organizations to influence legislation and to shame women.

MNAAC is actively fighting against the existence of “crisis pregnancy centers” (CPCs), or anti-abortion centers, in Minneapolis and Saint Paul, with activists demanding restrictions on the ability of CPCs to spread medical misinformation and demanding state and local regulations to require CPCs to disclose that they do not provide a full spectrum of reproductive healthcare.

CPCs convince unknowingly pregnant people in crisis to not have abortions by using scare tactics and promoting myths about abortion causing depression, cancer and infertility. In Minnesota CPCs outnumber abortion care clinics eleven to one, since there are 90 CPCs and nine abortion care clinics. Anti-abortion attacks continue at the federal level with the recent 5th Circuit ruling that seeks to block remote prescription and delivery of mifepristone by mail.

Activists shared their stories about what it means to have the ability to choose to become a parent and how American imperialism continues to harm mothers.

Jordann Hoff, a member of MNAAC, shared that blocking access to mifepristone via telehealth and delivery by mail will harm nearly two-thirds of people needing to have an abortion, since approximately 63% of all abortions are via medication.

Emily Newberg, a member of Women's Against Military Madness (WAMM) shared how Palestinian women are using tent scraps for pads and, without aid mothers, are continuing to take care of their children alone as the men have migrated away throughout the war.

River Road Townsend, a member of Twin Cities Coalition For Justice (TCC4J), told their story about receiving a lifesaving abortion during their first trimester because they still had children to take care of, and how they later were able to choose to adopt a child into their family. Townsend calls their family a family of choice; and that reproductive healthcare should not have to come through the intersection of luck and circumstance.

MNAAC is a grassroots, volunteer-based organization fighting for reproductive justice. The pillars of reproductive justice are the right to have a child, the right to not have a child, and the right to parent a child in safe and sustainable communities while maintaining personal bodily autonomy as a human right.

#MinneapolisMN #MN #MNAAC #AbortionRights #WomensMovement #LGBTQ

Milwaukee, WI – Reproductive Justice Action Milwaukee (RJAM) organized an emergency rally to demand access to mifepristone, the abortion pill medication, on Monday, May 4.

After a recent appeals court ruling that would’ve banned the prescription of the pill through telehealth or mail order, Louisiana sued the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), attempting to reinstate mandatory in-person consultations to have the medication prescribed. The state claimed that mifepristone access undermines their abortion ban The Supreme Court blocked the suit temporarily, and the official decision will be made in the next week. The fight for bodily autonomy and reproductive health continues.

There is a slew of anti-abortion legal cases being pushed through courts nationwide.

Milwaukeeans still came together at a rally for abortion rights, with dozens of people gathering in downtown Milwaukee to call for access to mifepristone and chanting, “Not the courts, not the state, the people must decide their fate.”

RJAM hosted three speakers, then led some loud chanting on the corner of Red Arrow Park, their voices echoing through the city to nearby traffic, pedestrians and City Hall.

Abortion remains legal in Wisconsin, but there are only five abortion clinics, in the southeast region of the state and Madison, leaving the majority of the state and rural areas without services. Wisconsin also does not allow telehealth consultations for abortion, so their access is still very restricted. Meanwhile, the “pro-life” religious groups in Wisconsin operate 50-plus crisis pregnancy centers (CPCs) around the state, working to deceive and deny women their rights.

The protest drew an energetic, multi-generational crowd.

RJAM kicked off the speeches with their founding member, Carly Klein, demanding, “Bodily autonomy for all. Unrestricted access to abortion care. Immediate mifepristone access. The right to telehealth abortion services. An end to politically motivated attacks on healthcare.” She added, “Reproductive Justice Action Milwaukee will continue to organize, mobilize, and fight because our lives depend on it.”

Klein continued, “This has never been about safety. Mifepristone is one of the most studied medications in the United States and has been used safely by millions. Anti-abortion politicians continue to spread misinformation to justify control over our bodies and our healthcare decisions.”

Jo Fox from Planned Parenthood-Generation Action at UWM stated, “Attacks on mifepristone are a steppingstone to the end-goal: a no-exception ban on abortion access nationwide.” The crowd chanted back “That ain’t right!” Fox also spoke on the unnecessary barriers Wisconsinites face when trying to access care, including a two-visit minimum requirement, and a prohibition on advanced care practitioners (RNs, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants) to provide abortion medications to patients.

Andrea Waters from Freedom Road Socialist Organization told the crowd, “Wealthy people in the ruling class will still find a way. They can travel, they can pay, and get private care.” While the working class cannot do so easily. She added, “Capitalism wants our labor, it wants our children’s future labor. It wants us to carry the burden of care while the state cuts services, bosses keep wages low, landlords raise the rent, and healthcare becomes more expensive. The super-exploitation of women has never been more clear.”

RJAM reminded us that abortion care is still available for now. Whether or not mifepristone stays legal, there is still another medication, misoprostol, that can induce abortion.

Abortion is healthcare and women, and the people, need unrestricted access to it, lest they return to the dark ages of back-alley abortions, or the situation in states where it is banned, leading to criminalization and death for the lack of abortion care. Reproductive justice for all, now.

#MilwaukeeWI #WI #WomensMovement #RJAM #Abortion #ReproductiveRights

Milwaukee, WI – Community members gathered for a screening of Preconceived on April 12 to learn about the dangers of crisis pregnancy centers.

Reproductive Justice Action Milwaukee (RJAM) hosted a screening of the documentary followed by a discussion as a part of their Crisis Pregnancy Centers Out of MKE campaign.

Crisis pregnancy centers are also known as unregulated pregnancy centers or fake abortion clinics. Crisis pregnancy centers are clinics in buildings or mobile vans which claim to be reproductive health clinics but are actually run by anti-abortion activists who trick pregnant people seeking abortions into keeping their pregnancy, using deceitful means. Currently there are 50-plus crisis pregnancy centers in Wisconsin and only five legitimate clinics offering abortion care.

With promises of financial and community support for keeping the baby, the CPCs are able to draw in pregnant women before promptly abandoning the new parent and baby once the child is born.

These “clinics” are strategically placed next to Planned Parenthood locations, in predominantly Black, Chicano and low-income communities. One of the anti-abortion activists interviewed in the documentary brags about specifically targeting Vietnamese and indigenous communities.

In addition to strategic placement, CPCs use religious imagery, language, and shame to convince people to either avoid or “reverse” an abortion. CPCs will give progesterone to “reverse” an abortion pill regime. When this procedure was being researched the entire program was halted due to the danger to participants. Real doctors and medical professionals would not recommend this course of action to a patient.

The showing of Preconceived is just one part of RJAM’s CPCs Out of MKE campaign. Using direct action, RJAM works to bring attention to and educate community members on crisis pregnancy centers and the harm they cause to reproductive health.

RJAM shut down Alliance Family Services early on their opening day in 2025. RJAM is currently supporting the Stopping Abuse, Fraud, and Exploitation by Governing Unauthorized Access to Reproductive Data (SAFEGUARD) Act in the Wisconsin state legislature. This act will give patients power to take back control of their private health information from these deceitful CPCs.

Additionally, it will force CPCs to disclose that they are not HIPAA-compliant, to obtain written permission to share data, and to disclose instances of data breach. Visit cpcsoutofmke.com to learn more about how to support reproductive justice work in Wisconsin.

#MilwaukeeWI #WI #WomensMovement #ReproductiveRights #Abortion #RJAM

Milwaukee, WI – On Tuesday, March 31, Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) at the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee held a rally for Trans Day of Visibility. The event took place at the UWM library and was co-sponsored by Reproductive Justice Action Milwaukee and the Milwaukee Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression.

This rally started on a somber note, with local trans musicians playing songs of solidarity and hope.

Sasha Gurin from SDS spoke to his experience as a trans youth and the importance of the student movement’s fight for equality of gender in schools. He too spoke of the need for the queer and trans community to fight back against Trump’s agenda, telling attendees that the struggle for trans liberation is principally one against the Trump agenda, and it is on us to unite with the struggles for Palestinian liberation, immigrant rights, and countless others.

A member of Reproductive Justice Action Milwaukee stated, “Our work for reproductive justice does not exist without the fight for trans rights.” They then spoke to today’s present fight, and the work to be done. “While trans folks are visible, they're not all protected, and visibility without protection just leaves people vulnerable. It leaves people vulnerable to attacks, and harm, to hate and violence, vulnerable to supreme court rulings like the one that just came in this morning.”

This event came the same day as a dangerous Supreme Court ruling which overturned Colorado’s law banning conversion therapy for minors. This dangerous ruling sets precedent for similar rulings in 26 other states with similar laws. While the attacks from the Trump administration continue, so do the defenses of the people.

#MilwaukeeWI #WI #TransDayofVisibility #LGBTQ #Trans #SDS #StudentMovement #WomensMovement

Tacoma, WA – On March 31, over 30 people took to the streets to rally for transgender rights. Community members spoke on the importance of Transgender Day of Visibility, and how it intersects with the working class, climate justice, and indigenous sovereignty. After speeches, a short march, and an indigenous cultural offering from a two-spirit person, people filled the municipal building to speak during the city council meeting.

On the city’s agenda was a Transgender day of Visibility proclamation fought for by community organizers and signed by the mayor and city council.

This rally and march were called by the Freedom Road Socialist Organization and also came in response to a Supreme Court decision to re-legalize conversion therapy. Many community members feared how this could impact them at home and at work.

Haze Bender, a union warehouse worker with Teamsters Local 174, said, “Everything we do is informed and impacted by our relationship to production. As workers under capitalism, we have a lot more commonality than differences with the people we work alongside. Remember, most of our oppression is coming from the people above, rather than the people alongside us.” Bender stressed the importance of trans and working class solidarity.

“The United States government sent us [to boarding schools], along with all Indians, where they criminalized our languages, changed our names, and attempted to erase our way of being,” said River Bandi, a two-spirit speaker from the Ojibwa and Odawa First Nations. “They did not succeed. My existence is a testament to the resilience of my ancestors.”

“My mom told me growing up, if you marry another woman, or if you marry somebody that is not Latin, I will disown you,” said Amelia Isabel Escobedo, a two-spirit person with the Brown Berets. She rejected that narrow view, saying instead “You are a part of me and I am a part of you. And we are family.”

Tacomans made it clear that they would not sit down while the Trump administration continued to attack trans rights. After chants of “Trans rights now,” over ten people took the energy of the rally into city council chambers to demand material protections for trans people in Tacoma.

“So on this Transgender Day of Visibility, I ask you to do more than see us,” Dez Chalfant said to the city council in chambers. “Stand with us. Fight with us. Protect us. Because we are not going anywhere.” Chalfant is a rank-and-file member of UFCW 367 and a representative on the Pierce County Central Labor Council.

During the council meeting chants of “When trans rights are under attack, what do we do? Stand up fight back!” echoed through the building, reminding the council that the residents of Tacoma is ready and willing to fight for trans people. The city of Tacoma passed the proclamation for Trans Day of Visibility.

#TacomaWA #WA #TransDayOfVisibility #LGBTQ #Trans #WomensMovement

Los Ángeles, CA – El 8 de marzo, más de 150 personas se reunieron en el Ayuntamiento de Boyle Heights para asistir a la novena celebración anual del Día Internacional de la Mujer organizada por Centro CSO. El evento de este año contó con puestos de comida y un panel de conversación con oradoras de las diferentes áreas de trabajo de Centro CSO, como inmigración, educación y brutalidad policial. La Dra. Rocío Rivas, miembro de la junta directiva del Distrito Escolar Unificado de Los Ángeles (LAUSD) que defiende a la segunda jurisdicción escolar más grande del país contra la privatización, fue la oradora principal del evento.

Jenny Bekenstein, miembro de la Organización Socialista Camino de la Libertad, explicó cómo el Día Internacional de la Mujer se desarrolló en paralelo a la lucha contra el capitalismo y la explotación de los trabajadores. Bekenstein, quien también es miembro del sindicato Teamsters en UPS, dijo, “¡El Día Internacional de la Mujer tiene una historia de mujeres que se enfrentaron a sus jefes, organizaron huelgas, salieron a las calles y lucharon contra la opresión!”

Centro CSO también destacó las demandas de derechos reproductivos para todas, el fin de la violencia de género, la liberación LGBTQ, igual salario por igual trabajo, la legalización para todos y el fin de los crímenes policiales.

Luego, el público escuchó a un panel de activistas que incluyó a Isabella Rivera, madre de Jeremy Flores, quien fue asesinado por la policía de LAPD en la división Hollenbeck en 2025; Antonieta García, copresidenta del comité de educación de CSO, quien organiza la lucha contra la expansión de las escuelas charter en el Este de Los Ángeles; Destiny Martínez, activista del sindicato Teamsters en UPS; y Verita Topete, activista por los derechos de los inmigrantes y copresidenta del Comité de Inmigración de CSO.

Las panelistas compartieron cómo comenzaron en el activismo y cómo es ser mujeres que luchan por causas como la educación pública, la justicia contra los crímenes policiales, los derechos de los inmigrantes y el trabajo dentro del movimiento laboral.

Verita Topete, cuyo padre estuvo detenido durante muchos años en el Centro de Detención de Adelanto, dijo, “Centro CSO organizó un hermoso evento por el Día Internacional de la Mujer que creó un espacio para pequeños negocios locales de mujeres chicanas y reunió a un poderoso panel de chicanas que realizan un trabajo importante en sus comunidades. Escuchamos a mujeres que se organizan por la rendición de cuentas policial, la educación, los derechos laborales y de los inmigrantes. Fue un honor compartir espacio con mujeres que están en la primera línea de estas luchas. El salón estaba lleno de mujeres que se fueron sintiéndose vistas, apoyadas y empoderadas”.

Cuando se le preguntó sobre el evento, Kate Regan, moderadora del panel, maestra de escuela pública y activista, dijo, “El Día Internacional de la Mujer no solo es motivo de celebración, sino también un importante llamado a la acción. Nuestro evento fue una hermosa muestra de agradecimiento por el trabajo que ya se ha realizado, y también una fuente de inspiración alegre para las mujeres y niñas que aún no han encontrado su voz única en la lucha. Nos empoderamos mutuamente al compartir nuestras historias de fuerza y resiliencia”.

La Dra. Rocío Rivas, miembro de la junta directiva del LAUSD y una fuerte aliada de Centro CSO cerró el evento reconociendo las contribuciones de las mujeres a la protección de la educación pública contra la privatización. Rivas se postula para la reelección este año y ha recibido el respaldo de Centro CSO debido a sus esfuerzos para detener el crecimiento de las escuelas charter.

Centro CSO invita a todas las personas que quieran luchar contra la agenda racista y reaccionaria de Trump a su reunión general mensual a las 6 p.m. en el Ayuntamiento de Boyle Heights.

#LosAngelesCA #CA #CentroCSO #WomensMovement #InternationalWomensDay

Declaración del Día de la Visibilidad Trans por el Equipo de Trabajo del Movimiento LGBTQ y de las Mujeres de la Organización Socialista Camino de la Libertad

En el Día de la Visibilidad Transgénero, la Organización Socialista Camino de la Libertad se une a las masas de personas transgénero que se niegan a ser borradas de la vida pública. Este último año hubo una escalada de órdenes ejecutivas anti-trans del gobierno de Trump y legislación reaccionaria en estados de todo el país. La lucha por la visibilidad ha sido ardua y debe ser defendida. Ahora es el momento de salir a las calles para exigir la liberación trans.

Los ataques contra la atención médica para personas trans han tomado un lugar central en la agenda anti-LGBTQ de Trump. Mientras 27 estados ya han aprobado leyes para limitar la atención de afirmación de género para jóvenes trans, Trump busca prohibir esta atención médica en todo el país bloqueando los fondos de Medicaid y Medicare para todos los servicios en hospitales que también brinden atención pediátrica de afirmación de género. Trump ha dado a los hospitales un ultimátum: terminen sus programas de atención de afirmación de género para jóvenes o enfrenten la bancarrota. Esto ya ha resultado en una pausa de la atención en muchos centros, incluso en aquellos estados donde la atención de afirmación de género para jóvenes aún está protegida por la ley local.

El Tribunal del Cuarto Circuito, cuyos jueces fueron designados por Trump, lleva estos ataques un paso más allá al dictaminar que el programa de Medicaid de Virginia Occidental puede excluir la cobertura de todos los procedimientos de atención de afirmación de género, incluso para adultos que dan su consentimiento. La decisión abre la puerta a prohibiciones similares en otros estados. Esto nunca se trató de proteger a los niños. Los ataques contra los jóvenes trans erosionan la autonomía corporal de todas las personas trans, y estamos viendo cómo los verdaderos planes de las fuerzas reaccionarias toman forma en tiempo real. Nuestros enemigos buscan eliminar por completo la atención de afirmación de género y borrar a las personas trans de la existencia, y debemos luchar contra ellos en todos los frentes.

Los derechos civiles de las personas trans en Estados Unidos son extremadamente desiguales y precarios. Las leyes varían de un estado a otro. En Kansas, las licencias de conducir de las personas trans están siendo revocadas de manera masiva. Por el contrario, en Minnesota, se aprobó una ley de refugio trans para proteger a pacientes y proveedores de atención de afirmación de género. Dependiendo de dónde vivan, las personas trans enfrentan leyes sobre baños y prohibiciones en deportes, son desgenerizadas a la fuerza en las escuelas, quedan desprotegidas contra la discriminación laboral, y más. Pero esta polarización también ofrece un terreno fértil para las semillas de la lucha. La resistencia organizada es la única manera de derrotar estos ataques, defender nuestros logros y mejorar verdaderamente las condiciones de vida de las personas trans.

En todo el país, miembros de la Organización Socialista Camino de la Libertad han liderado la lucha por la liberación trans mediante protestas contra los recortes a la atención de afirmación de género, oponiéndose a leyes anti-LGBTQ, movilizando a sus comunidades contra los crímenes de odio y exigiendo justicia por las vidas trans arrebatadas. OSCL participa en eventos anuales por el Día de la Visibilidad Trans, el Día de la Memoria Trans, así como en protestas durante el Mes del Orgullo que reviven el espíritu revolucionario de Stonewall. Las campañas para reducir el costo de los cambios de nombre y fortalecer los recursos de santuario para refugiados trans mantienen viva la lucha por la liberación trans durante todo el año. Donde la gente se organiza y lucha, hay victorias por ganar.

En su acelerado declive, el imperio estadounidense seguirá lanzando ataques represivos contra los pueblos trabajadores y oprimidos como un medio para evitar el cambio revolucionario. Debemos ayudar a quienes luchan por cualquier tipo de liberación a ver la liberación trans como entrelazada con la suya propia. La visibilidad es solo el comienzo. Un día, las personas trans serán más que visibles—tendrán el poder político para tomar sus destinos en sus propias manos.

#TransDayofVisibility #LGBTQ #WomensMovement

Trans Day of Visibility Statement by the Women’s & LBGTQ Work Team of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization

On Transgender Day of Visibility, Freedom Road Socialist Organization unites with the masses of transgender people who refuse to be erased from public life. This past year saw an escalation in anti-trans Executive Orders from the Trump administration and reactionary legislation in states across the country. The struggle for visibility has been hard-fought and must be defended. Now is the time to hit the streets to demand trans liberation.

Attacks on trans healthcare have taken center stage in Trump’s anti-LGBTQ agenda. While 27 states have already enacted laws to limit gender affirming care for trans youth, Trump intends to ban this healthcare nationwide by blocking Medicaid and Medicare funding for all services at hospitals that also provide pediatric gender-affirming care. Trump has given hospitals an ultimatum: end their youth gender-affirming care programs or face bankruptcy. Already, this has resulted in a pause in care at many facilities, including those in states where gender-affirming care for youth is still protected under local law.

The Trump-appointed 4th Circuit Court takes these attacks a step further, ruling that West Virginia’s Medicaid program can exclude coverage of all gender-affirming care procedures, even for consenting adults. The decision opens the door for similar bans in other states. This was never about protecting children. Attacks on trans youth chip away at the bodily autonomy of all trans people, and we are seeing the true plans of reactionary forces take shape in real time. Our enemies seek to eliminate gender-affirming care in its entirety and to stamp trans people out of existence, and we must fight them on every front.

The civil rights of trans people in the United States are extremely uneven and precarious. Laws vary from state to state. In Kansas, the drivers licenses of trans people are being revoked en masse. Conversely, in Minnesota, a trans refuge bill was passed to protect patients and providers of gender-affirming care. Depending on where they live, trans people face bathroom bills and sports bans, are forcibly misgendered in schools, left unprotected from workplace discrimination, and more. But this polarization also offers fertile soil for the seeds of struggle. Organized resistance is the only way to beat back these attacks, defend our gains, and truly improve the conditions in the lives of transgender people.

Across the country, members of Freedom Road Socialist Organization have led the fight for trans liberation by protesting cuts to gender-affirming care, opposing anti-LGBTQ bills, rallying their communities against hate crimes, and demanding justice for stolen trans lives. FRSO is involved in yearly events for Trans Day of Visibility, Trans Day of Remembrance, as well as protests during Pride Month that revive the revolutionary spirit of Stonewall. Campaigns to lower the cost of name changes and bolster sanctuary resources for trans refugees ignite the struggle for trans liberation year-round. Where people stand and fight, there are victories to be won.

In its accelerating decline, the U.S. Empire will continue to launch repressive attacks against working and oppressed people as a means to prevent revolutionary change. We must help those fighting for liberation of any kind to see trans liberation as intertwined with their own. Visibility is only the beginning. One day, trans people will be more than visible—they will have the political power to take their destinies into their own hands.

#TransDayOfVisibility #Trans #LGBTQ #WomensMovement #PeoplesStruggles #Statement #FRSO

Chicago, IL – On Monday, March 16, UIC students gathered in the Women’s Leadership and Resource Center to learn about and discuss women’s and LGBTQ liberation and socialism.

Freedom Road Socialist Organization held the presentation and discussions to commemorate Women’s History Month by showing how both women and the LGBTQ community are oppressed by capitalism, and that both have an interest in fighting for socialism.

Speakers engaged the audience in discussion about how the rich benefit from gender-based exploitation in and out of the workplace. Audience members shared personal experiences of seeing how women in their life face gendered oppression in both their jobs and in their homes.

“LGBTQ equality presents a direct challenge to this oppressive system, and so LGBTQ people are also subject to severe repression, including discrimination in employment, housing, education, and healthcare, and denial of the right to marriage equality,” explained River Argyilan from FRSO.

Students also shared the stories of women fighters for liberation including Claudia Jones, a Black Trinidadian communist woman who was a dedicated leader within the Communist Party USA in the 1940s and 50s, as well as Marisol Marquez, an active Chicana revolutionary in California who is a member of FRSO.

Presenters recommended that students read Marisol Marquez’s pamphlet “My Journey to Aztlán,” which discusses her path to becoming a revolutionary Chicana activist, and to honor Women’s History Month by continuing to study and fight for women’s and LGBTQ liberation as an integral part of the struggle for socialism.

#ChicagoIL #IL #WomensMovement #LGBTQ #InternationalWomensDay #FRSO