LGBTQ+ and allied organization leaders held a virtual press conference Sept. 24 to address the Trump Administration’s increased attacks on transgender people.
Human Rights Campaign President Kelley Robinson said the Trump Administration has put transgender Americans in danger across the country in all aspects of life. She called on elected officials to speak out against the violence that has put transgender Americans in danger “because when leaders go silent, that silence is filled with violence.”
Robinson added that “Now we have seen reports of the Trump’s Shadow Cabinet wants the FBI to categorize trans Americans as violent extremists”—a that is untrue because “trans Americans are more likely to be the victim of a violent crime than a perpetrator of one. Violence committed against trans Americans is an epidemic. Violence committed by trans Americans is a lie that only begets more violence.”
Transgender Law Center Executive Director Shelby Chestnut said, “Trump and his MAGA allies have fueled fear, chaos and deception about trans people, immigrants and poor people to distract us from his failures of leadership and his disregard for the will of the people … The truth is a majority of people support transgender people living openly and authentically.”
Equality Federation Executive Director Fran Hutchins spoke about the attacks on transgender people being a “campaign that weaponizes fear and misinformation to isolate and harm our communities. And most Americans see through this … It’s political violence” that manifests itself “when LGBTQ+ people have to take extra precautions to protect their safety and security in daily life … the dismantling of federal protections … and going after the organizations that connect people to community and care.”
GLAAD President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis spoke about a number of issues: the knowledge gap that exists because less than 30% of Americans say they know a transgender person; the lies that are told by anti-trans actors about the community; the negative effect anti-LGBTQ+ bans and laws are having on the community; and the rise in violence against the LGBTQ+ community and especially transgender people.
PFLAG President Brian Bond said there has been an increased need for support and spoke about the 40 new chapters they have welcomed “in places like Bullhead City, Arizona; Franklin, North Carolina; and Sterling, Kansas, because parents and families will not back down. We’re seeing this administration trying to distract from its failing policies by continuing to target our kind and courageous trans kids and loved ones, painting them with malice. It’s frankly despicable and it’s Un-American. It’s not bad enough that transgender kids and adults are being targeted. It’s their families too.”
Bond added that PFLAG is showing up everywhere for transgender people and said they will not stop until every LGBTQ+ person is “safe, empowered and can thrive everywhere.”
Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) Special Litigation Senior Supervisor Attorney Beth Littrell spoke about how the SPLC has tracked these anti-LGBTQ+ hate groups for years and, “We know the threats these extremists and ideologies pose.” Littrell added that “the real threat” is when the government targets specific groups of people for who they are and “foments hatred” against vulnerable communities “for political gain” not a person’s gender identity.
Littrell said the SLPC is prepared to take legal action against the Trump Administration and other actors to protect the transgender community.
Additionally. Hutchins, Chestnut and Ellis called on the press to report on transgender people and their issues in a fair and accurate way. Hutchins wants the press to “elevate the real stories behind these attacks” and “report on the harms” while Chestnut emphasized that reporters tell transgender people’s stories in a truthful way, “call out hate fueled propaganda for what it is,” and include transgender voices in their coverage.
Ellis recognized that the some of the press has “been under attack for [doing] fair and accurate reporting … We need you to continue to be a lifeline for our community to fight the disinformation and politicization of our community, especially now, with an even bigger target on the backs of the trans community.”