NYC rally: ‘I believe in trans youth power’

Jan. 10 — Under a cold, steady rain, hundreds of people rallied today in New York’s Union Square to defend the lives of transgender children and all trans people. Holding a sea of umbrellas, signs and flags, they chanted, “I believe in my power! I believe in your power! I believe in trans youth power!”

“Together We Win: NYC Rally for Trans Kids” was organized by Trans formative Schools (TfS), PFLAG NYC, and the New Pride Agenda, and supported by ACT UP NY and other groups. It was held in the run-up to a U.S. Supreme Court hearing Jan. 13 on the right of trans youth to participate in school sports. 

The decision of the Trump-aligned court will have repercussions far beyond athletics, impacting everything from health care access to bathroom bans to the right of trans people to exist in public spaces.

Speakers included several trans and gender-nonconforming youth from TfS. The group, which unites teachers, students and parents, recently won a long battle to push back anti-trans measures by far-right members of Community Education Council 2 in Manhattan. 

A student named Bea declared: “I want people to know that trans kids are just kids, we just want to live normal lives and be accepted. We don’t need to be debated, we need to be cared for.” 

“Right now across our nation we are seeing a coordinated attempt to erase and silence the transgender community,” said New York Attorney General Letitia James. She vowed to use her office to protect trans youth and their access to gender-affirming health care. 

New York is one of several states that have sued the federal government to stop Trump’s anti-trans executive orders and departmental rules.

Trans community leader Qween Jean connected the Trump regime’s attacks on trans rights with the genocide of Palestinians in Gaza, the terrorization of immigrants, and the murder of Renee Nicole Good, a queer woman, by ICE in Minneapolis.

“We are in a moment where, if we are silent, they will come after us. If we do not organize, they will terrorize,” said Qween Jean. “If they come for us in the night, they will come for you in the morning.”