Protesters Criticize Anti-Trans Legislation at Washington Square Park
The crowd gathered in protest of legislation preventing trans youth from accessing gender-affirming care across various U.S. states.
(Jason Alpert Wisnia via Washington Square News)
by Adrianna Nehme and Bruna Horvath
This story was originally published on New York University’s Washington Square News.
Dozens of protesters, primarily high school students, marched from Union Square to Washington Square Park to raise awareness about anti-transgender bills being proposed across the country on Thursday. At the gathering, which was organized by the student-led NYC Youth 4 Trans Rights, attendees spoke to the crowd about their experiences with trans rights issues.
In the last few years, state legislatures across the country have advanced bills attacking LGBTQ+ rights and transgender youth. Most recently, Florida passed a bill that removed access to gender-affirming medical care for transgender youth, barring minors from being prescribed puberty blockers and hormone replacement therapy. At least 18 other states are considering similar policies.
Mina, a high school student who helped organize the protest, said that they will not stand for transphobic government policies and will continue to protest until they see change.
“Transphobia is not something that doesn’t happen anymore, and it’s not something that we don’t have to worry about,” Mina said. “It’s something that is actively going on all the time, and it is dangerous, unacceptable and I hope people learn that we have to stop it now. If we don’t come out here and if we don’t stop it now, it will not stop and trans people will literally be illegal and that’s horrible.”
Read the rest of the story at Washington Square News.