In response to rising anti-LGBT sentiment, the Queer Equity Institute and the National Center for Transgender Equality will hold a nationwide protest on the National Mall to promote greater transgender awareness and encourage transgender people to continue to be socially active.
The “TRANSform the Vote” rally, scheduled for Sunday, March 31, coincides with National Day of Transgender Visibility, which celebrates transgender identity while also drawing attention to the poverty, discrimination, and violence that transgender people often face due to their gender identity.
Both NCTE and the Queer Equity Institute are anticipated to announce plans to record voters, inform them about the problems, and join them in the lead-up to this year’s presidential election.
The upcoming vote may prove to be crucial for the trans community. If history is preface, Republicans, including GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump, are likely to plan on pushing pro-transgender policies and LGBTQ visibility when in office.
“We have seen work to eliminate transgender individuals from society,” according to Rodrigo Heng-Lehtinen, senior director of the National Center for Transgender Equality, from restricting access to biologically important care to denying transgender students the opportunity to play sports. Casting our seats and participating in politics are only two of the many ways our society can support the issues that matter to us, according to Transform the Vote.
“Over the past few years, we’ve watched again and again as ‘jokes’ became hate speech, hate speech became expenses, bills became rules. And all the jokes, hate speech, and rules created an environment where trans people are assaulted, beaten, and murdered,” Leigh Finke, the executive director of the Queer Equity Institute and the first out trans senator in Minnesota past, added.
“Some of the most crucial tools we have to fight back against these attacks are to change the culture through voting, running for office, and creating art and music that transform society,” Finke continued. This rally is intended to draw attention and motivate people to use those resources in their communities.
The rally will feature several key speakers, including Minnesota Democratic State Rep. Alicia “Lish” Kozlowski (D-Duluth), a queer state lawmaker and one of the nation’s top advocates for Native trans and two-spirit people, Minneapolis City Council Member Andrea Jenkins, the nation’s first out Black transgender woman elected to public office, actress, artist, and human rights advocate Angelica Ross, and Monica Beverly Hillz, a former contestant from RuPaul’s Drag Race and the first person to come out as transgender on national television.
Other participants include Shear Avory, one of the nation’s leading transgender youth activists, and Merrique Jenson, the founder of the Kansas City-based Transformations, a trans-led nonprofit focused on leadership development among transgender communities of color.
In order to honor the occasion, world-renowned visual artist Cassils will create a piece of art featuring rally-goers.
The rally will feature art displays, performances, and booths highlighting the work of community organizations from the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia that can connect attendees with resources to register to vote or become civically involved.
The TRANSform the Vote rally will kick off from the National Mall, along 7th Street between Madison Dr. NW and Jefferson Dr. SW, at 11 a.m. on Sunday, March 31. For more information, visit www.transformthevote.org or RSVP here.
