Countering Transphobia & Gender Discrimination

On Trans Day of Visibility, we look at the wave of anti-trans laws being enacted across the U.S., with dozens more anti-trans bills making their way through state legislatures. The Arkansas Senate has approved one of the most harmful bans on access to healthcare for transgender youth by prohibiting the use of gender-affirming care, including hormones and puberty blockers. Arkansas, Tennessee and Mississippi have enacted new laws aimed at banning trans athletes from joining sports teams, and in South Dakota, two executive orders bar trans women and girls from playing school sports. “We are truly witnessing an escalation of attacks on trans people unlike anything I’ve ever seen in government,” says Chase Strangio, deputy director for transgender justice with the ACLU’s LGBT & HIV Project. We also speak with journalist and activist Raquel Willis, who says higher visibility for trans people is not enough. “We can’t just rest on some of the social strides that we’ve made,” says Willis. “We also need to be using that action to change our material realities and protect our rights.” #DemocracyNow Democracy Now! is an independent global news hour that airs on nearly 1,400 TV and radio stations Monday through Friday. Watch our livestream 8-9AM ET: https://democracynow.org Please consider supporting independent media by making a donation to Democracy Now! today: https://democracynow.org/donate FOLLOW DEMOCRACY NOW! ONLINE: YouTube: http://youtube.com/democracynow Facebook: http://facebook.com/democracynow Twitter: https://twitter.com/democracynow Instagram: http://instagram.com/democracynow SoundCloud: http://soundcloud.com/democracynow iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/podcast/democracy-now!-audio/id73802554 Daily Email Digest: https://democracynow.org/subscribe

Democracy Now! stories, posts and pages that relate to Transgender Rights.

There's a LOT of misinformation out there about transgender kids. Most of it's based on outdated "science," and yet the mainstream media keep reporting the same bogus "facts." Find more at www.gendermom.com.

Every day, people question why we advocate for trans rights. “How many trans people are there, really?” we are asked. Or, “Isn’t this just a new niche issue that serves as a distraction from the issues that really matter?” But trans people have always existed, and our lives have always mattered. And though we have and continue to face rampant discrimination, so too have we built beautiful communities and movements of resistance and love. Through a collaborative video from the ACLU, Transparent producer and artist Zackary Drucker, Emmy-nominated actress Laverne Cox and the creative team of Molly Crabapple and Kim Boekbinder, we are telling the story of trans history and resistance. This video comes on the heels of the President’s tweets seeking to ban transgender individuals from military service and in the midst of continued legislative efforts in states like Texas to ban transgender individuals from public restrooms. The consequences of this discrimination from our government are deadly. In one comprehensive survey of over 27,000 transgender individuals in 2015, almost one in three respondents reported living in poverty, over half reported being denied health care related to their gender transition, one of every four indicated that they did not seek medical attention at all due to fear of discrimination and more than three of every four reported experiencing harassment in school because they were trans, ultimately leading to 17% of respondents dropping out of secondary school altogether. All of this contributes to a cycle of discrimination and violence that leads to homelessness, incarceration and ultimately, for many — particularly trans women of color — premature death. Indeed, at least 15 trans people, almost all women of color, have been murdered so far this year in the United States. And two of every five American trans people attempt suicide at least once in their life. Without accurate information about trans people, our lives and our rich histories, the impulse to push us out of public life will continue. But we continue to tell our vivid, vibrant and critical story of trans resistance. Time marches forward, and so do we.

In Part 2 of our interview, ACLU attorney Chase Strangio describes in detail the state-level attacks on trans youth, and the intensifying international push to eradicate trans lives.

We speak with Chase Strangio of the ACLU about recent anti-LGBTQ legislation in Florida, Texas, and Idaho, and pending bills in other states. Florida's "Don't Say Gay" education bill aims to ban the mere discussion of sexuality and gender identity in schools. A bill in Idaho criminalizes gender-affirming healthcare for transgender children and teens. Meanwhile, welfare officials in Texas have begun to carry out Republican Governor Greg Abbott's directive to launch child abuse investigations against parents who seek gender-affirming care for their transgender children. "What we're seeing is a national, well-funded effort to attack and eradicate trans youth and trans lives specifically," says Strangio, who is also an attorney in the ACLU’s lawsuit against Abbott. #DemocracyNow Democracy Now! is an independent global news hour that airs on nearly 1,400 TV and radio stations Monday through Friday. Watch our livestream 8-9AM ET: https://democracynow.org Please consider supporting independent media by making a donation to Democracy Now! today: https://democracynow.org/donate FOLLOW DEMOCRACY NOW! ONLINE: YouTube: http://youtube.com/democracynow Facebook: http://facebook.com/democracynow Twitter: https://twitter.com/democracynow Instagram: http://instagram.com/democracynow SoundCloud: http://soundcloud.com/democracynow iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/podcast/democracy-now!-audio/id73802554 Daily Email Digest: https://democracynow.org/subscribe

Marlo Mack and her young transgender daughter share their story in a short cartoon. Learn more on Marlo's blog, www.gendermom.com or check out her "How to Be a Girl" podcast.

At least 150 bills have been filed by Republican lawmakers across the United States that target transgender people, with at least seven states enacting bans on gender-affirming healthcare for transgender youth. Other bills have targeted drag performers, doctors and trans adults seeking transition-related care. For more on growing conservative attacks on transgender people and the LGBTQ+ community, we speak to Chase Strangio, deputy director for trans justice with the ACLU LGBTQ & HIV Project, who says the backlash “at its core has always been about pushing trans people out of public life and eradicating transness.”

BUFFALO, N.Y. – T C Wheelers, Inc., which operates T.C. Wheelers Bar & Pizzeria in Tonawanda, New York, violated federal law when management and employees harassed an employee because of his gender identity, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged in a lawsuit filed today.

President Joe Biden signed an executive order overturning the previous administration's ban on the service of transgender individuals in the military.

A Resource for Students, Families, and Educators

Today, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) finalized a rule under Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) that maintains vigorous enforcement of federal civil rights laws on the basis of race, color, national origin, disability, age, and sex, and restores the rule of law by revising certain provisions that go beyond the plain meaning of the law as enacted by Congress.

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Transgender individuals and communities experience shocking amounts of violence and discrimination. This section offers some information on the staggering rates of violence that trans and non-binary people face, although it should be noted that data is limited. In addition to experiencing high rates of domestic and sexual violence, trans and non-binary people are often the targets of transphobic hate crimes and state violence. As always, listening to and believing survivors is critical.

Capturing Hate In an effort to address the shortcomings of federal surveys and to supplement other

“We Are Saving Human Lives Around The World.” see something, Say Something A international Human Rights Organization “

Transgender people face extraordinary levels of physical and sexual violence, whether on the streets, at school or work, at home, or at the hands of government officials. More than one in four trans people has faced a bias-driven assault, and rates are higher for trans women and trans people of color. NCTE is working with anti-violence groups, women’s rights groups, racial justice groups, and federal and state law enforcement agencies to combat anti-trans violence. This effort cannot be limited to just Transgender Day of Remembrance. Public education, policy change and community efforts are needed to address the complex causes of anti-trans violence and ensure victims can receive support.

National Center for State Courts

BTAC is the only national non-profit organization lead by black trans people working to collectively address inequities faced by black transgender people.

GATE campaigns globally for trans,gender diverse and intersex equality GATE is an international advocacy organization working towards justice and equality for trans, gender diverse and intersex communities. Rooted in our movements, we work collaboratively with strategic partners at the global level to provide knowledge, resources and access to UN mechanisms and bodies. We give voice toGlobal Action for Trans Equality

Callen-Lorde provides an affirming environment where patients can receive hormone therapy as well as engage in an ongoing relationship with a primary care provider and/or a mental health provider to […]

TGEU is a membership-based organisation working to strengthen the rights and wellbeing of trans people in Europe and Central Asia.

Secrecy and ignorance fuel the discrimination intersex people face throughout the world. This explainer provides answers to some common questions—and information about the movement to secure intersex people’s rights.

Transgender and gender nonconforming students have the right to be safe and to be yourself at school. That is why the American Civil Liberties Union and GLSEN have put together this guide to inform

Intersex people are born with sex characteristics (including genitals, gonads and chromosome patterns) that do not fit typical binary notions of male or female bodies. Experts estimate that up to 1.7 percent of the population are born with intersex traits. In recent years, awareness of intersex people, and recognition of the specific human rights abuses that they face, has grown, thanks to the work of intersex human rights defenders. Human rights abuses against intersex people include, but are not limited to:

The National Center for Transgender Equality is the nation’s leading social justice advocacy organization winning life-saving change for transgender people.

Transgender Law Center (TLC) is the largest national trans-led organization advocating for a world in which all people are free to define themselves and their futures. Grounded in legal expertise and committed to racial justice, TLC employs a variety of community-driven strategies to keep transgender and gender nonconforming people alive, thriving, and fighting for liberation.