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Indivisibles,

Today is the International Transgender Day of Visibility -- an annual
event celebrating the beauty of trans life in a world that so often
oppresses trans people. 

When trans people (and especially trans children) are having their rights
stripped away on a daily basis, it can become easy to focus on the
negatives, to think of trans people solely as victims of an oppressive
culture. But that’s not a full picture of transgender life: 

Trans is the strength to define yourself. 
Trans is the bravery to choose yourself in spite of the danger it may
present.
Trans is the euphoria of living honestly and choosing happiness.

Trans is inherently joyful. There is no greater example of self-love than
pursuing your own joy in the face of an unjust society.

Trans is beautiful. 
Trans is brave.
Trans is free.

Unfortunately, trans visibility is also under attack. Though this day
centers on the joy of visibility, we would be remiss (knowing that our
network is allies to the trans community) in not speaking to the
horrifying wave of legislation passing through this country and what each
of us can do to combat it. 

What can we do to help trans people?

These bills popping up across the country are ugly, regressive attempts at
legal discrimination. For Republicans, this anti-trans wave of
state-by-state legislation is the tip of the spear for a broader MAGA
attack on LGBTQ+ people and personal freedoms as a whole. When they take
aim at the most at-risk, when they target the smallest populations, they
hope to leverage prejudice into power. They are building a legislative
framework at the state level that targets the trans community while
putting all of our freedoms at risk.

Let’s be clear about why this is happening. Trans people are not the
target because transness is inherently wrong. Trans people are the target
because MAGA Republicans see them as the next step in their strategy to
divide our communities and systematically roll back our right to control
our own bodies, define our own identity and live with dignity and respect.
When the freedoms of one marginalized group are being eroded, none of us
are safe, and right now, MAGA culture wars have taken clear aim at trans
people.

But there are politicians fighting back:

[ [link removed] ]Tweet from Senator Cavanaugh: New bills will come to the floor in the
coming weeks, including ones I support. I will filibuster them all. Every.
Single. One. Why? Because I am not giving extremists any chance to
legislate their hate against the trans community.

On February 23, Nebraska State Senator Machaela Cavanaugh began
filibustering every piece of legislation brought to the floor of the state
legislature to prevent LB574 from passing -- a discriminatory bill
targeting transgender youth. 

Sen. Cavanaugh has been joined by State Senator Megan Hunt in vowing to
continue filibustering every bill for the remainder of the session to keep
this anti-trans bill from becoming law. Sen. Hunt told the body, “this is
a line you don’t cross with me. If you cross it today, you’re staying on
the other side of it because you’ve done irreparable harm.” ([ [link removed] ]Watch Sen.
Hunt’s entire speech here.) These two senators have brought the
legislature to a standstill, vowing that they will not allow rights to be
taken away from one group of people for the sake of pushing through the
rest of the legislative agenda.  

The elected officials, activists, and community leaders standing up to
these attacks all over the country are emboldening others to show up and
urgently speak out. If you’re ready to join them, here are three ways to
get started: 

* [ [link removed] ]Track these bills! Identify where these bills are popping up in
your local area so that you can put pressure on your locally elected
officials to reject these attacks. With so many bills popping up
across the country, the sheer volume of legislation can feel
overwhelming: Focus on your local officials. Make sure those officials
hear your displeasure and that you will not go away until they stop
the attacks on trans people. Push your local officials to be as strong
as Sens. Cavanaugh and Hunt. 
* If you are part of an Indivisible group taking on this legislation,
talk to your organizer about what grants we have available to support
this work or email [ mailto:[email protected] ][email protected]. We know that
organizing campaigns against this kind of legislation takes time,
planning, and resources. Our [ [link removed] ]GROW Grants program can provide
financial support for your grassroots lobbying efforts. With your turf
organizer and fellow Indivisibles, plan out what supplies,
communications tools, and general expenses you will need in order to
effectively combat this harmful legislation at your state capitol.
Then, research [ [link removed] ]GROW Grant rules and apply for a grant to cover
those costs. PLEASE NOTE: Every state has different lobbying laws and
reporting requirements for legislative advocacy, so please familiarize
yourself with [ [link removed] ]your state's lobbying rules and ensure you are/would
be spending below the reporting threshold for a nonprofit advocacy
group. GROW Grants cannot be used to fund partisan work on state or
local elections. If you have questions on this, please reach out to
[ mailto:[email protected] ][email protected].
* [ [link removed] ]Donate to organizations like the Equality Federation. The Equality
Federation amplifies the power of state-based LGBTQ+ movements to work
on issues like workplace fairness, HIV criminalization laws, and
anti-transgender bills. With anti-trans bills being proposed all
across the country, it is more important than ever to ensure LGBTQ+
advocacy groups have the resources they need to keep up the fight for
trans rights.  

On this day of visibility, let us honor our trans siblings by standing
beside their courage in supporting their visibility. How we show up for
our most marginalized members is an indication of strength, solidarity,
and heart. We’re so glad to see you share that work with us.

In solidarity, 
Indivisible Team

P.S. There is incredible ongoing work happening with Indivisible groups
across the country in support of trans people. Here are some highlights to
give you ideas about what you and your fellow Indivisibles can do to help
support trans joy and fight for trans rights moving forward.

 

Indivisible Lumpkin

[ [link removed] ]Indivisible Lumpkin thank you notes piled on State Senator Kim
Jackson's desk

Indivisible Lumpkin sent letters to their Georgia State Senator Kim
Jackson in appreciation for her standing up against SB140 which blocked
gender affirming care for minors.

 

Indivisible Little Rock & Central Arkansas (LRCA)

[ [link removed] ]Stop SB43 (Anti-drag bill will be voted on in the House tomorrow, 2/1
10:00 AM. Room A, MAC)

Indivisible LRCA fighting to stop SB43 criminalizing drag performance in
Arkansas. Drag bans are inherently attacks on trans rights as trans
existence can be purposefully misconstrued as performance by the sort of
vague wording contained in some of these pieces of legislation.

 

Indivisible CRIA

[ [link removed] ]Four pictures of the Indivisible CRIA rally featuring groups of people
holding signs in support of trans kids

Indivisible CRIA hosting a rally in support of trans kids in Iowa refusing
to bow down to MAGA book bans.

 

Afton Indivisible

[ [link removed] ]Picture of the crowd standing in tiers levels at the Hastings Rally
for Trans Kids.

Afton Indivisible co-organized the Hastings Rally for Trans Kids in Levee
Park in Minnesota which brought hundreds of people out to show their
support. Click on the picture for an article about the rally!

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