Protesters gathered outside the Ohio statehouse on Nov. 7 to protest the Trump administration’s desire to change the definition of gender to “biological sex,” removing safeties for most (if not all) transgender Americans.
Across the country, transgender Americans and their supporters are fighting against this change through rallies and protests.
According to the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), transgender is “an umbrella term for people whose gender identity and/or expression is different from cultural expectations based on the sex they were assigned at birth. Being transgender does not imply any specific sexual orientation.”
The HRC website continues by saying, “therefore, transgender people may identify as straight, gay, lesbian, bisexual, etc.”
The crowd at the rally in Columbus was fairly large, and being so short I couldn’t make it to the front, but even in the back the energy was electric. There was a lot of cheering, cars honking at the crowd for support, and a strong sense of family within those gathered there.
The rally itself was a blast — there were transgender flags flowing with the wind and posterboard signs in gloved hands with messages such as, “my identity is not up for debate.”
There was cheering and chanting, but the protest was peaceful.
And although it was a protest, it felt like a very safe space for everyone involved.
Most of the transgender message was clear: “We Will Not Be Erased.”
As a non-binary pansexual, this resonated with me.
Changing the definition could put millions of Americans at risk of losing insurance or losing their ability to transition. For me, that’s scary. It’s very dangerous and won’t end well for anybody in the transgender community. The only way to fix this is to fight back. Rallies and protests have broken out all over the United States and are making an impact in terms of making transgender voices heard.
Those who are transitioning, or have already transitioned, are terrified of this change and how it could affect them.
Overall, the rally was fantastic. It was peaceful, it was wonderful, and I got to meet many new people.
