Lawmakers: Listen to Young Trans People

Trans students are leaders in the movement to end gun violence. By celebrating our identities, expressing ourselves freely, and standing up for ourselves, we show that trans people can not and will not be silenced.

We asked five trans and non-binary Students Demand Action leaders about the physical and legislative anti-trans attacks across the country. Here’s what they had to say.

What would you say to younger queer and trans people seeing lawmakers attack their right to exist?

Julius Frank, he/they

• “I would tell them that they are valid, loved, and important. And a handful of extremist lawmakers spewing harmful misinformation and creating hateful legislation doesn’t change that fact. Things are incredibly difficult for young trans and queer people in America right now, but we have overcome adversity before, and we will do it again.
• “I know how difficult it is to feel good about yourself and your community when all you see on the news is people trying to strip you of your most basic human rights. But please don’t give up hope. People are fighting for you, and we will not give up until all trans and queer people feel safe and accepted.”

Alé Ortiz, they/she

• “Young queer and trans folk have an entire community behind them. It is hard to hear that you are validated and truly believe it when lawmakers are continually telling you that what you are is not real. But you are valid. Queer people are real. Trans people are real. You are real.
• “Lawmakers have fought the queer and trans community before, and they lost. They will lose again, and as our generation goes into office, those policies will cease to exist.”

Peren Tiemann, any pronouns

• “Lawmakers don’t have a say in our existence. They can train their supporters to spout misinformation, but at the end of the day, we are the most powerful force. Across the world, we have a family that they don’t. And together, we will make our world a better place.”

Gee Kelly, he/they

• “For hundreds of years, there’s been people who are afraid of what they don’t understand. And sometimes they feel they need someone to blame. Today many lawmakers have decided that it is our community. But there is another side to that story.
• “This is about the fight for education, the fight for liberation, and the fight for queer excellence. The best thing you can do right now is to be unapologetically yourself. When people make who you are a crime, every day you live truthfully, it’s a rebellion.”

Flynn Williams, he/they

• “You deserve so much love. Please don’t give up. These laws are NOT your fault, and you do not deserve this. You are part of a community of thousands. Lawmakers should not stop us from simply existing. Find small pockets of joy and love. You deserve to be loved for truly being you, and we will fight until that is our reality.”

How does anti-trans and anti-queer language show up in your community and how does it impact community members?

Julius Frank, he/they

• “I commonly experience microaggressions and hear anti-trans rhetoric from my teachers and peers. I hear myself and my friends get deadnamed and misgendered daily. Every day in school I spend about 10 minutes waiting to use a gender-neutral bathroom, which is far too often mocked and exploited by cisgender nondisabled students.
• “I’ve been bullied in person and online for being trans, and I’ve seen young trans and queer people struggle with their mental health because of the hatred that they face. I personally have experienced a lot of internalized transphobia because of this.”

Alé Ortiz, they/she

• “I have the unique experience of growing up in Los Angeles, an extremely welcoming space to the queer and trans community, but also growing up in the Latine community. In the Latine community, especially the Mexican community, there’s still work that needs to be done to ensure that it is a welcoming space to queer and trans people.
• “It is a common belief in some Mexican communities that men must be strong and aggressive, otherwise known as machismo, and this heavily affects men, especially queer and trans men who do not exemplify those beliefs. The harm machismo and other beliefs some in the Mexican community hold have created deep harm to the queer and trans community.”

Peren Tiemann, any pronouns

• “In rural Ohio, I see anti-trans rhetoric regularly. People who live in my hall and study alongside me in classes think that it is perfectly acceptable to loudly spread hate about trans people, and delegitimize our existence. We are constantly misgendered, told by professors and students alike that we are groomers, and made to feel alone.”

Gee Kelly, he/they

• “Our community has seen it [anti-trans and queer language] in television and literature, in video games, and in the passive ignorance of people who are not a part of the queer community. We are used as talking points and facts rather than seen as whole people. I am seen as a failure of my assigned gender at birth instead of an exceptional person. To say that I am lucky because I live in a state that has not proposed state-level bills that are currently trying to make it harder for me to continue living is sad.
• It is hard to go through social media and not see something that makes me worried about my future, and I see that same worry on many of my friends’ faces.”

Flynn Williams, he/they

• “It shows up everywhere. In snarky comments, in lawmakers spouting transphobic language, in movies, and, most of all, in our homes and schools. It hurts to see your identity attacked for no reason. My existence does not harm you. It’s isolating to know that an entire political group has dedicated their lives to ensuring I don’t have a right to exist. We find community in online spaces and chats because we can’t find it in our own community.”

What would you say to anti-trans lawmakers?

Julius Frank, he/they

• “I spend my time worrying if I will be able to access gender-affirming care or even grow up in this country. I am 16 years old, I shouldn’t have to worry about violence and hatred from the people that are supposed to protect me. You say that these laws are for the protection of young people, but I’ve seen far too many trans youths die by suicide, or spend every day hating themselves because they are convinced that they don’t deserve to exist.
• “If you want to protect kids, focus on the guns that are taking our lives. An inclusive curriculum, free gender expression, and gender-affirming care are life-saving and are something that we cannot afford to lose. If you have any integrity or respect for this country, you will stand up for the trans people that you represent and swore to protect.”

Alé Ortiz, they/she

• “Religion is not a reason to create the policies you do, it is an excuse. The queer and trans community will win, whether you want us to or not.”

Peren Tiemann, any pronouns

• “You claim to care about children, but your actions drive queer and questioning children and teens towards suicidal ideation and force them to live in purgatory. Your actions don’t eliminate trans people from existing, they only make our lives miserable. You took rights given to the people and decided that they were not for everyone. You have defined for the trans community what cruel and unusual punishment truly looks like without us having done anything to deserve it.”

Gee Kelly, he/they

• “Being trans is one of the most beautiful things about my life, I have been able to create a person that I am proud to look in the mirror. You have decided that you have the right to tell me how to live. You have stapled shame and your insecurity onto the wonderful piece of parchment, and art that I have created.
• “I would tell them when you punish a person for dreaming their dreams, don’t expect them to thank or forgive you. And when all the damage that they have created comes back and looks them in the eye, do not expect pity or kindness from me.”

Flynn Williams, he/they

• “We are not a scapegoat for you to blame all of your problems on. If you cared about public safety and helping students you would support common sense gun laws, and support removing barriers for low-income students to go to college. You can not say you want to ‘keep kids safe’ and then vote time and time again to put kids’ lives at risk. We are not a threat to you, and you do not get to have an opinion on a community that you are actively trying to erase or get killed.”

How have you seen young trans people show up and resist attacks on them?

Julius Frank, he/they

• “I’ve been honored to work with some incredible people in the fight to defend queer and trans rights. Within my school, I’ve worked on campaigns to make gender-neutral restrooms more accessible to students, educate faculty about gender identity and expression, and educate the student body on LGBTQIAP+ identities and issues facing the community.
• “I’ve seen young queer and trans people standing up for themselves: going to protests, addressing state legislatures, and starting petitions to advocate for their rights. I would like to emphasize that trans and queer joy is also a form of resistance. Seeing someone dressing the way they want to dress, acting the way they want to act, or just enjoying life the way they want to live is incredibly powerful. Lawmakers are trying to silence us. But by celebrating our identities, expressing ourselves freely, and standing up for ourselves, we show that we can not and will not be silenced.”

Alé Ortiz, they/she

• “Young queer and trans people are already fighting back on my campus. There was a direct attack on our gender identity, and not only did the queer and trans communities take action, but our allies did as well. Our student body spoke up, had sit-ins, and made a ruckus on campus.
• “Because of this, we had a conversation with our president where we were able to tell her that she hurt us and explain to her what we wanted to change. This is just the beginning, and she acknowledged that there will be further conversations about how to make our campus a welcoming space for trans students.”

Peren Tiemann, any pronouns

• “We resist attacks every day that we choose to dress in our fashion, speak about our experiences, and tell the government and our community that we are proud to be trans. This might be most visible in rallies and protests, but it means the most to me to know that I am representing my community even when and where we feel invisible.”

Gee Kelly, he/they

• “I am proud of my generation, I am proud to be part of the trans community. They have driven hundreds of miles to speak to the lawmakers and representatives that deem our existence sinful and have refused to let anyone talk down to them.
• “It is a heavy responsibility to have to fight to exist, and the young should not have to fight it. I’ve seen so many of us, grab the torch without complaint, and continue stepping forward. We have become fighters and educators and creators, and so many other things with so little to work with. It’s not always in the big things—it is in the conversations we have and the representation that we give.”

Flynn Williams, he/they

• “Across the country, trans people are coming together to demand their safety. With rallies, walkouts, and op-eds, with anyone and anyone who will listen. It’s heartwarming to see our community coming together to support one another but terrifying that we have to fight for our right to live.”