For Immediate Release
November 3, 2026
NATIONAL – Our community has always fought to make our voices heard and win the governing power we need to create a future where every person, transgender or not, has what they need to thrive. That is what we saw this election. Across the country our queer and trans community, our Black and brown neighbors, our migrant and Indigenous siblings, all showed up to the polls to reject the billionaires trying to buy off the election and fight to win the freedom to be ourselves.
“This moment is a clear demonstration of the power of community organizing,” said Shelby Chestnut (they/he), Executive Director. “From small towns to big cities, our people showed up determined to fight the opposition’s tactics of fear, surveillance and control. We showed up. And every door knocked, every phone call made, every conversation had is moving us towards a world where all people, including trans people, have what they need to thrive.”
In five states, voters cast their ballots on measures that would restrict transgender young people from the ability to live authentically as themselves. In Missouri, results are looking promising that voters are standing by the freedom for transgender young people to access the healthcare they need and for every person to make decisions about their own bodies, including access to abortion.
“Trans youth across the nation are demonstrating that our humanity and freedom are not reliant on any state’s permission. Our personhood will not be surrendered,” said J. Gia Loving (she/her), Co-Executive Director of Genders & Sexualities Alliance (GSA) Network. “No matter the ongoing attacks that attempt to criminalize our existence, we continue to build people power across race, class, gender, and age lines. Our movement for liberation transcends binaries, borders, and party lines.”
In the months and weeks leading up to the election, TLC staff have been on-the-ground mobilizing our community and our neighbors to create a world where everyone belongs. In five major U.S. cities, TLC partnered with local organizations to demonstrate how the excitement of women’s sports can be a powerful vehicle for trans joy, community building, and visible support for trans inclusion. And in Colorado, where TLC serves on the Executive Committee of the Families Not Politics campaign, we knocked on hundreds of doors across the state to have conversations about the future transgender young people deserve.
At the time of this release, “Colorado is too close to call as of now,” said Trish Hyde (she/her), Campaign Manager for Families Not Politics. “We are so grateful to every family who told a deeply personal story, every volunteer who had a difficult conversation, and every Coloradan who refused to let fear decide this election. Transgender kids deserve to grow up feeling valued, safe, and free. No matter what, we will keep showing up, organizing, and fighting until Colorado is a place where every young person is treated with dignity and given the chance to shine.”
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Contact
Sara Mar, Senior Media Relations Manager, Transgender Law Center, [email protected]