Laverne Cox, Janet Mock, Carmen Carrera, and More Express Outrage at Reported Removal of Transgender Civil Rights Protections
Many have responded angrily to news that President Trump will reportedly revoke civil rights protections for transgender people.
According to The New York Times, the Trump administration is planning to define “gender as a biological, immutable condition determined by genitalia at birth.” Such legislation would be the “most drastic move” to revoke “recognition and protections of transgender people under federal civil rights law.”
The upsetting nature of this news has celebrities and advocates like the actress Laverne Cox, the writer Janet Mock, and the model Carmen Carrera, among others, voicing their concerns about the effects this policy would have on the nation.
Cox posted on Twitter urging people to not stop fighting against the Trump administration. “We must not give up the fight. But in the face of this affront on my existence and the existence of my community I choose love not fear. We exist and always have,” the transgender actress wrote.
On Twitter, Mock wrote, “They can try all they want, but they cannot erase us.”
Carrera screen-grabbed parts of an article from Vox about the news and posted them, along with multiple angry emojis, on her Instagram Stories, highlighting a portion of the piece that said such legislation could impact which locker rooms and bathrooms transgender students use and “could even require some people to produce DNA tests as part of their educational experience.”
The transgender model and activist Munroe Bergdorf expressed on Instagram how “terrifying” stripping these rights away would be. “They are pushing for gender to be defined as man OR woman and people CANNOT change their gender identity,” wrote Bergdorf. “Disputes will be settled via genetic testing. I’m horrified and my heart goes out to all my trans, NB & intersex friends and followers in America. I’m so sorry you have to go through this. We will fight for you.”
The Pose star Indya Moore posted screenshots of the headline as individual Instagram posts with several of her own visual responses, saying, “They live. We sleep.” The trans actress also posted a photo of herself urging people to make change. “The attack on the most vulnerable groups of society is the precipice and preface for a grand scale level of humanitarian genocide and prioritization of resources to people,” she wrote. “The fundamental foundation of freedom is threatened. The most vulnerable demographic of humans in our society has been targeted alas. Our very existence is officially up for debate. We are now at the mercy of the opinion of those who do not face our challenges or experience our experiences. To those who are most privileged, as our fate settles in your hands. What will you do?”
The former RuPaul’s Drag Race stars Miz Cracker and Peppermint also expressed their horror at the news on Twitter.
Danica Roem, the first openly transgender woman elected to Congress, tweeted: “Singling out and stigmatizing your transgender constituents isn’t just the antithesis of constituent service; it’s dangerous and gets us killed. I shouldn’t have to have more faith in @LambdaLegal than the POTUS to prevent this horror show but here we are.”
In response to the devastating news, New York City’s mayor, Bill DeBlasio, wrote a message in support of the trans community: “To all trans and non-binary New Yorkers: we see you and we will fight this. Every human being has a right to define their own identity.”
While no legislation has been set in stone, the threat of the government determining individuals’ gender identities is beyond horrifying. One way to stop this is by voting in the primaries, which we strongly encourage you to do on November 6.
