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

New Orleans, LA – On January 13, concerned Louisiana residents began submitting online tips flagging perverse heterosexual books in school libraries. They responded to state Attorney General Jeff Landry, who on November 28 set up a “tip line” for reporting “taxpayer-subsidized sexualization of children.”

Landry was calling on concerned citizens to report books with LGBTQ-related themes. Landry claimed in a Times Picayune op-ed that these books provoke “increasingly violent and criminal sexual desires.”

The most hardcore Landry supporters ask: Why stop there? LGBTQ sexual orientations, genders and relationships are only the tip of the iceberg! The attorney general should crack down on all sexualities and gender identities in books.

Disney Princesses? Shakespeare? The Bible? Little “Miss” Muffet? None are off the hook! They propagate heterosexuality and cisgender ideologies just as flagrantly as LGBTQ-themed literature. In fact, they are much worse.

Real Name Campaign, an organization of activists based in New Orleans, encourages the most consistent followers of the attorney general to submit tips. The group created a Tiny URL to make the tip line more accessible: www.tinyurl.com/TrollTheTipline

Louisianans who send in tips should take screenshots of their tips and share them on social media, tagging AG Jeff Landry and Real Name Campaign NOLA.

Tips are already rolling through, under #TrollTheTipline.

One concerned resident writes: “Found a book at my library titled James and the Giant Peach. Didn’t read it, assuming the worst.”

Another added: “My second grade daughter brought home the book Matilda. Nothing inherently sexual about it, but every lesbian I know had/has a crush on Miss Honey. So that’s suspicious.”

Landry plans to run for governor in 2023. After dutifully enforcing the state’s no-exceptions abortion ban, he’s using this tip line to rally his base. Given the groundswell of enthusiasm, submissions may be so numerous that they make the tip line obsolete.

[Editor’s note: The vast majority of readers will realize the above is satire but given life and culture in a declining imperial power, we are stating the obvious just to be sure.]

#NewOrleansLA #antiLGBTQLegislation

Austin, TX – On Tuesday evening, November 1, a small group of students from the Austin Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) chapter gathered in front of the Perry Castañeda Library at University of Texas at Austin campus to protest against the national “Don’t Say Gay” bill.

The protest was organized as a part of the SDS national week of action against the Stop the Sexualization of Children Act (commonly referred to as the national “Don’t Say Gay” Bill), which was introduced by Republicans in October. The bill would prevent teachers from discussing LGBTQ topics and issues in their classrooms, essentially turning Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill into national law. Students are calling for a stop to this bill and all homophobic and transphobic attacks.

Jake Holtzman of Austin SDS said, “Especially since the overturning of Roe v. Wade earlier this year, Republicans are positioned to launch many other attacks against people’s rights, including the right to same-sex marriage, contraception, and now, with the ‘Don’t Say Gay bill,’ the right to teach about LGBTQ related topics in our schools. We need to protest and organize against these attacks now, because the only way we can stop them is through organizing!”

A few other SDS members spoke and led the group in chants, including, “Racist, sexist, anti-gay, GOP, go away!” and “When trans rights are under attack, what do we do? Stand up, fight back!”

#AustinTX #antiLGBTQLegislation #DontSayGayBill

Tampa, FL – On November 15, 20 students, led by Tampa Bay Students for a Democratic Society, gathered in front of the University of South Florida Library in a show of protest against HR 9197, the national Stop the Sexualization of Children Act, more commonly known as the “Don't Say Gay” bill.

This bill aims to ban public funding for and impose penalties on schools and entities that promote events and literature about gender identity, LGBTQ+ issues, sexuality, gender dysphoria, trans people, and the history of the gay or trans movements for children below the age of ten. Following the example of the Don't Say Gay bill that passed in Florida, it also opens the door for parents to sue schools and educators who they feel expose their children to material friendly to LGBTQ+ people.

This attack on the few such educational programs that exist has outraged many student activists, leading to a national week of action against the bill by over a dozen SDS chapters around the country.

“The 'Don't Say Gay' bill is a major setback for LGBTQ+ rights and acceptance,” Jaden Patel of Tampa Bay SDS said. “It only further stigmatizes already marginalized groups and will harm LGBTQ+ children. One of the clauses allows parents to refuse LGBTQ+ related help or services offered to their child, and such services could be potentially lifesaving. I think it was very important for SDS to speak out against this bill as it is just the beginning. The bill only pertains to students under ten, but it's not hard to believe that it could be extended to all of K-12. Other LGTBQ+ rights are being stripped as well, such as trans healthcare being banned for minors. We must oppose all of these setbacks, and hold our ground!”

The student protesters carried signs that read, “Stop homophobic and transphobic attacks!” and “Protect gay youth!” They chanted, “Racist, sexist, anti-gay, GOP, go away!” over and over again across the library green. In vibrant rainbow colors, on more than one sign, students proudly painted the words: “We say gay!”

“This bill is also calling for erasure of the LGBTQ+ community by the omission of LGBTQ+ history and suppression of LGBTQ+ people’s existence,” said Vaidehi Persad, a member of SDS. “But these are our streets and our schools! These are publicly funded spaces meant to serve us and our best interests. We all deserve to feel safe, respected and affirmed here at school.”

#TampaFL #antiLGBTQLegislation #DontSayGayBill

Baton Rouge, LA – On April 29, 20 protesters in New Orleans and Baton Rouge held two coordinated rallies to protest anti-LGBT+ legislation. High school students, teachers, parents and social workers attended. They spoke out against Louisiana’s version of the Don’t Say Gay bill, and a ban on transgender girls playing sports. The rallies took place outside of two key state legislators’ offices to push them to vote no on both pieces of legislation.

In New Orleans, protesters rallied outside the office of Representative Stephanie Hilferty, and in Baton Rouge, they targeted Representative Barbara Freiberg’s office. These politicians are Republican swing votes on the House Education Committee. If they both vote against the bills, they can stop them or delay them long enough to run out the clock this session. Protesters timed their rallies to deliver the message to both legislators at the same time.

Event participants in both cities found the legislators’ offices vacant, at 4 p.m. on a Friday. In New Orleans, the front door had an “out of office” notice. But at the end of the event, an observer of the protest reported that two people exited through the back door. They were probably staffers who saw the rally.

Participants at both events left a letter and signs at the office doors. The letter, signed by LGBTQ+ organizations, social workers and the New Orleans teachers’ union, stated: “At the end of the day, everyone should be treated with dignity and respect – and that includes transgender young people. A supermajority of Louisianans (71%) support comprehensive nondiscrimination protections for LGBTQ people.”

A participant of the Baton Rouge rally took the event as an opportunity to come out to her extended family online, with the love and affirmation of other protesters.

“Don’t Say Gay” and the trans sports ban

The Don’t Say Gay bill, or House Bill 837, threatens to prohibit all discussion of “gender identity” and “sexual orientation” in classrooms for grades K-8. It also places a gag order on teachers from disclosing their own sexual orientations or gender identities in grades K-12. This is a copy of identical legislation in Florida. There is no way to enforce the letter of this law. Grammar lessons on pronouns refer to gender identity (she, he). Writing “Mrs. Anderson” on a board is often a disclosure of this teacher’s sexual orientation. When the bill says “gender identity and sexual orientation,” it uses this as a dog whistle for “LGBTQ kids.” The point is to greenlight transphobic and homophobic harassment, bullying and discrimination.

The trans sports ban, or Senate Bill 44, tries to outlaw any transgender girl’s participation in girls’ sports. It has no grounding in science or international athletics standards. In fact, transgender women participate in women’s sports around the world, and most perform as well as cisgender women. Only outstanding ones deal with critics who punish them for their achievements. The main reason that women face disadvantages in sports is because their teams receive less funding and attention than men’s. The so-called “Fairness in Women’s Sports Act” does not address this. The bill is also likely to have racist and discriminatory consequences beyond transphobia. When someone accuses a cisgender woman of being a “biological male,” it’s often because she’s Black, brown, or intersex. This was true for Caster Semenya, who critics considered to be too masculine for her gender.

A 2022 ABC News/Ipsos poll found that most people in the U.S. oppose the Don’t Say Gay bill, and a 2021 Marist poll found that most also oppose anti-transgender legislation. Neither bill responds to any constituents’ needs.

Real Name Campaign NOLA organized the coordinated double rally. It can be reached on Facebook @RealNameCampaign and on Instagram @real_name_campaign.

#BatonRougeLA #WomensMovement #antiLGBTQLegislation #dontSayGay

Arlington, TX – On March 23, Progressive Student Union at the University of Texas at Arlington held a protest condemning the transphobic attacks that Governor Greg Abbott and Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick have imposed on Texan families. Both men attempted to direct the state Department of Family and Protective Custody to consider gender reaffirming therapeutics, such as puberty blockers, hormonal treatment and other aspects of trans healthcare, to be classified as “child abuse,” thereby making both families that support their trans youth and licensed professionals who are either aware of or support said youths getting the necessary healthcare liable to charges of “child abuse” or “abetting child abuse.”

The demonstration had 20 participants, and several Progressive Student Union (PSU) members gave speeches regarding defending trans youth and condemning the agenda of Abbott’s administration. PSU’s Ren Butter stated, “We have to stand up against transphobia, because we see that they’re going to continually attack us for trying to live.”

Jay Rodriguez and Rick Majumdar spoke on the fact these attacks are happening as part of a national campaign to roll back the hard-fought civil liberties that the LGBTQ+ community has won over the years.

Mark Napieralski, chief organizer of PSU, brought the focus back to the University of Texas at Arlington as he said, “There are many lacking things regarding LGBTQ+ support on campus, despite the claims that they support diversity,” and he announced that PSU has five demands.

Then five members of PSU each spoke about the five-point demands that the organization was issuing to UTA: To have gender neutral housing units in every single dorm; have dispensers for menstrual healthcare products in every single gender neutral bathroom on campus; hiring more counselors who specialize in gender dysphoria and mental health issues related to the LGBTQ+ community; that President Teik C Lim and future president write a statement condemning transphobia and setting up policies to oppose transphobia on campus; and that UTA follow the city of Austin’s example and declare itself a sanctuary campus for the LGBTQ+ community.

PSU will be continuing to agitate and demand equity for the trans community on campus.

#ArlingtonTX #LGBTQRights #UniversityOfTexasArlington #antiLGBTQLegislation #Abbott #PSU #transphobia

New Orleans, LA – Around 250 community members gathered at New Orleans City Hall, March 25, to forcefully voice their opposition to a string of legislation introduced by Louisiana Republicans in recent weeks. This includes bills that would restrict trans minors’ access to healthcare, their ability to participate in school sports, and could criminalize LGBTQ+ students and educators for being “out” in Louisiana schools.

The demonstration was attended mostly by students from three New Orleans high schools who have taken the initiative in organizing bold actions both on and off their campuses. Earlier in the day students at Benjamin Franklin High School held a walkout where hundreds of their classmates marched to the front of the school chanting “We say gay!”

Other students came to the event after another rally organized at a nearby high school. Christie Holliday from Queer Students and Allies of Louisiana said, “We will travel to Baton Rouge to confront the old white men who want to control our lives. We will fight back against our oppressors.”

Community members of all ages and from all walks of life proudly stood alongside the students. They acknowledged that the right-wing push to repress LGBTQ+ youth opens the door to other reactionary attacks like erasing reproductive rights.

Speakers from two immigrant rights organizations emphasized their solidarity with LGBTQ+ people. Mohamed of New Orleans Immigrants’ Rights Action said, “If anyone knows what it’s like to face a nationally coordinated Republican attack, it’s immigrants. So we will fight alongside you until all of us are free.”

Across the South, educators are pointing out that so-called “Don’t say gay” bills will have a terrible impact on students and teachers alike. Lauren Jewett spoke at the rally for United Teachers of New Orleans. She stated LGBTQ+ students could face further social alienation and repression from school administration and parents, and LGBTQ+ teachers could face reprisals for even mentioning their spouses or partners.

These bills could exacerbate the nationwide plague of teen suicides in the LGBTQ+ population, which is already four times more likely to attempt suicide than its peers. Additionally, all students would suffer from an already gutted sex education curriculum becoming even more narrow and anti-science.

After the energetic rally, the protesters carried their outrage to the streets. Under clear skies, they marched through busy downtown rush-hour traffic to show their collective strength. Serena Sojic-Borne of the Real Name Campaign said, “We won’t hesitate to disrupt business-as-usual to defend trans youth from these attacks. If shutting down rush-hour traffic seems like an inconvenience, imagine the inconvenience we face when our democratic rights are used as a punching bag by politicians who don’t care about our lives.”

The Real Name Campaign announced a call to action at the end of the march. They encouraged the demonstrators to flood the phone lines of Democrat Governor John Bel Edwards, to demand he promise that he will veto any bigoted legislation that ends up on his desk. Organizers emphasized that this is only the beginning of their struggle and that everyone must stay involved to ensure all three bills are defeated.

#NewOrleansLA #PeoplesStruggles #LGBTQRights #Louisiana #antiLGBTQLegislation