FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 6, 2024
Contact:
Sue Yacka-Bible, Communications Director, Transgender Law Center, [email protected]
K Richardson, Communications Manager, [email protected]
NATIONAL— Today, the Transgender Law Center acknowledges the profound impact of last night’s election outcomes and the devastating effects that a second Trump presidency and Republican-controlled Senate may have on our lives and the lives of those we love. A second Trump presidency will impact access to life-saving reproductive and gender-affirming healthcare, prevent parents of trans youth from caring for their children, and add chaos and additional harm to an already inhumane immigration system. However, we also secured some critical wins across races, places, genders, and abilities through organizing, mobilizing, and narrative change work. We will never stop showing up for one another, even when the path ahead feels more challenging.
“Despite today’s outcomes, we will continue fighting for our rights, freedoms, and the future we all deserve,” said Shelby Chestnut, Executive Director of Transgender Law Center. “Our community draws strength from the powerful legacy of resistance of our Black and Indigenous ancestors. Whether defending our freedom to be our authentic selves, accessing safe and affirming healthcare and abortions, or addressing climate justice, we will not stop until our laws, policies, and society reflect the care, dignity, and respect we all need—no exceptions.”
In this election, the attacks on trans people, our families, and our communities were the most visible and vile they have ever been. While certain politicians have targeted trans people, attacking our basic rights and threatening access to lifesaving, affirming healthcare, abortion, and safe schools, they have also spent hundreds of millions of dollars to swamp the airwaves with relentless anti-trans political ads designed to stoke fear and division. However, the ongoing research conducted by ASO Communications and Lake Research Partners in July 2024 for Transgender Law Center shows that over 60% of Americans agree that trans people deserve the freedom to be themselves.
On a difficult night for our communities, some key victories and historic wins deserve to be celebrated, including Colorado’s protection of the Freedom to Marry in the state constitution for all Coloradans, the protection of the right to abortion in New York, Missouri, Arizona, and Montana, and in Amarillo, Texas, voters rejected a proposed initiative that would have made local roads inaccessible to people seeking abortions.
Transgender Law Center’s commitment to one another and our shared liberation will not be deterred. We affirm the freedom to be heard and the future we have the power to create. At the end of last year, Transgender Law Center launched the Trans Agenda for Liberation Narrative Lab. The Trans Narrative Lab aims to foster a new era of empowered transgender and nonbinary voices in the field of communications and narrative strategy. The Trans Agenda centers the lives and voices of trans people of color, who have too often had to advance our collective liberation from the margins. Trans justice is migrant justice, disability justice, racial justice, environmental justice, reproductive justice, economic justice, and gender justice. An agenda for trans liberation is a blueprint for liberation for all.
At the core of our resistance lies an unshakable belief in community care. Trans and nonbinary people, despite being disproportionately targeted by harmful rhetoric and legislation, embody values of compassion, self-determination, and collective action. In September 2024, Transgender Law Center, alongside the Emergent Fund, launched the Action for Transformation Fund. This $1 million rapid response fund supports trans-led organizing, healing, and power-building efforts. It is a vital new resource for existing and emerging trans-led groups with budgets under $1 million to continue their transformative work.
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