U.S. Rep. Mike Quigley (IL-5) stressed that people should not abandon the transgender community right now, as President Donald Trump’s administration continues its attacks on their rights.
Speaking at a virtual town hall Quigley hosted March 5, the congressman said he wants to “make it clear that we should never abandon our friends, and that’s not how you succeed.”
Quigley’s comments came a day after Trump took aim at transgender people during his address to Congress, in which he boasted about signing an executive order declaring the federal government will only recognize two unchangeable sexes and another banning trans women from participating in women’s sports.
“This is the Trump administration’s favorite scapegoat,” Quigley said. “All the problems of the world, they seem to blame on one small community who never did them any harm.”
Transgender people are estimated to make up 1% of the U.S. population, and the Trump administration has already rolled out a series of executive orders attempting to erase recognition of transgender people from society, prevent gender-affirming health care, ban transgender people from the military and limit trans participation in sports.
Ed Yohnka, director of communications and public policy for the ACLU, moderated Quigley’s town hall and accused the Trump administration of scapegoating one of the most vulnerable populations to score political points with his base.
“The president used a part of his national address to a joint session of Congress to talk about trans athletes in public school sports,” Yohnka said. “He used a few minutes and got a great response from his side of the aisle.”
But participation among transgender people in school sports is miniscule, Yohnka said. Last year, Illinois saw just three transgender students out of the 320,000 across the state participating in sports recognized by the Illinois High School Association, he said.
“That means that 0.0009% of students across Illinois were the ones being attacked in front of a national television audience,” Yohnka said. “And it just shows you this idea that they think if they can find the weakest, the most vulnerable, who are already being harassed, and pick on them, then they can bring people along with them for the other places where they want to demonstrate their power.”
Quigley pointed out that Trump dedicated more time during his speech attacking transgender students than he did discussing how he would lower the cost of living in America.
“So it tells you where the president’s priorities are,” Quigley said.
Quigley’s continued embrace of transgender rights comes at a time when a small handful of Democrats are pulling away from their support of the community.
After Trump’s election win, Democrats like Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-New York) and Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.) suggested Kamala Harris’s loss had to do with the Democratic party’s embrace of transgender rights.
Former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, who served as the U.S. ambassador to Japan during former President Joe Biden’s administration, also said leaders were too fixated on transgender policies during a recent appearance on Real Time with Bill Maher.
“I don’t want to hear another word about the locker room, I don’t want to hear another word about the bathroom. You better start focusing on the classroom,” Emanuel said.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom also broke with Democrats’ support for transgender people in sports during the debut episode of his podcast, This is Gavin Newsom, suggesting Democrats were wrong to allow transgender women to participate in college and youth sports.
“I think it’s an issue of fairness, I completely agree with you on that,” Newsom said. “It is an issue of fairness — it’s deeply unfair.”
While Quigley did not speak on other Democrats who are suggesting the party stray from its support for transgender people, he did say standing by the community is key to success.
“There’s a strength in our diversity and a strength in our unity, and the two go hand in hand,” Quigley said. “The worst thing we can do is leave behind anyone at a time when the president is targeting certain communities. We need to stand together.”