New Orleans, LA – On Friday, March 31, hundreds marched from Washington Square Park to Jackson Square to celebrate Trans Day of Visibility. The marchers also gathered in response to nine anti-LGBTQ bills being considered by the Louisiana legislature. These bills reflect a growing crisis of targeted attacks against LGBTQ youth.

The Deadname bill, HB 81, would mandate that public school teachers misgender trans students and use their birth names. Students could appeal for their real names and pronouns to be used with a parental note, but staff would still be allowed to ignore that appeal based on “religious and moral” reasons. The demonstrators demanded that elected Democrats take a firm stand in opposition to these bills. In 2023 alone, 492 bills have been presented by far-right Evangelical Republicans trying to take away trans people’s rights.

“Our Trans Day of Visibility is not about optics. We are here to send a strong and united message that we will not take these attacks lying down, and we will never be eradicated. If they want to attack our existence, then they will expect our resistance!” said Quest Riggs of Real Name Campaign.

Youth and students were a strong presence at the march. Students from Benjamin Franklin High School staged a walkout in protest of the attacks earlier in the day. Jesús Zorilla, a Ben Franklin student, spoke on the devastating consequences that the bill would entail in the daily lives of high school students.

Additionally, two representatives from Students for a Democratic Society spoke at the rally. “They will come for us first, then they’ll come for the rest of the LGBTQ community,” spoke Viv Sidak from Loyola Young Democratic Socialists of America. “Every day we struggle, but every day is a triumph. We stand proud of the bravery and resilience of the students across the South,” said Vic Brunetti from Students United at the University of New Orleans.

“A coordinated national attack on students merits a coordinated national response!” said Serena Sojic-Borne of Freedom Road Socialist Organization. The speakers encouraged attendees to start SDS chapters at their own schools to join the national fight back against transphobia.

Protesters maintained high enthusiasm and energy. They ignored hecklers and chanted “We won’t go back! We will fight back!” and “Gay power!” When the sound system started to lag, a group of French Quarter musicians lent their sound system to the speakers.

The Real Name Campaign, Freedom Road Socialist Organization, the ACLU, United Teachers of New Orleans, Students United at UNO and Loyola Young Democratic Socialists of America participated in the event.

#NewOrleansLA #TransDayOfVisibility #antiLGBTQLegislation

Madison, WI – 400 people braved snowy conditions to join the Day of Resistance to Trans Genocide rally on March 18. The rally, organized by a grassroots coalition from southern Wisconsin, was held to demonstrate stalwart opposition to the recent flood of anti-trans legislation, rhetoric and violence across the United States.

Earlier this year, far-right commentator Michael Knowles announced at the Conservative Political Action Conference that “transgenderism must be eradicated from public life entirely.” Since the beginning of 2023, over 400 bills have been introduced into state legislatures across the country, including bills that would legally define womanhood via biology, ban gender-affirming care for minors, block insurance companies from paying for gender-affirming care, and in some cases even allow the removal of children from parents for allowing access to gender-affirming care.

Connolly, going by an alias for personal protection as one of the event organizers in light of the present conditions, said, “A lot of people just aren’t aware of the extent of the anti-trans legislation and how bad it is. The right likes to frame it as protecting children, but a lot of actors on the right have stated openly that their end goal is banning transition-related care for everyone of all ages. We are trying to make a visual impact that can’t be ignored so people have to at least be aware of what is happening.”

They hope that this can help prevent Wisconsin from taking the same path as other states, saying, “It is also important for the trans community to come together with allies and to see that there are people that do care and who are trying to stop this absolutely horrifying legislation from coming to Wisconsin.”

The rally started at Library Mall on the UW Madison campus. The crowd marched down the middle of State Street chanting “Defend trans lives!” and “Protect trans kids’ right to exist!” Volunteers linked arms to block busy intersections, allowing marchers to pass through on their way to the state capitol building. The march was led by a group of young people which included members of the Gay-Straight Alliance from a nearby middle school. The head of the march saw people carrying coffins representing deaths that will occur due to recent legislation.

“Banning gender-affirming care will lead to deaths. It will lead to deaths by suicide,” said Connolly. “If you withdraw hormone replacement therapy from someone who is on it, it leads to health problems plus psychological problems associated with having to be forcibly detransitioned.”

The march ended at the Lady Forward statue in front of the state capitol. Several speakers, including poet, activist and drag queen SunShine Raynebow, and Dina Nina, candidate for alderperson in Madison, focused on the joy of trans lives, the rights of trans people to exist publicly, and the need to recognize the scale and intent of anti-trans legislation.

“The Lemkin Institute, which was founded by the person who coined the word genocide, has said that this is a genocide in progress. So we are not exaggerating when we use the word genocide,” said Connolly. “I have seen people say, ‘I agree with you but you shouldn’t use the word genocide.’ If you support us, you have to support us without that ‘but.’”

#MadisonWI #Madison #antitransgender #antiLGBTQLegislation