Human trans pride flag, Kickball, essential services, and more

Friends –

I’ve been glowing all week from Sunday’s “Trans & Queer Field Day,” ([link removed]) an event in Columbia, SC designed to celebrate the end of the 2021 legislative session in South Carolina.

The first half of this year has been so hard for many reasons – but one of the chief reasons it’s been challenging for trans Southerners is the relentless onslaught of anti-trans legislation filed in state after state. We faced it in my own state of South Carolina, and for months, a wonderful team of organizers has come together to push back. The SC United for Justice & Equality coalition, which the Campaign for Southern Equality helps to lead alongside 30+ other LGBTQ and allied organizations, successfully helped to defeat more than a half dozen attempts to discriminate against transgender youth.

On Sunday, our community came together to celebrate – first with a beautiful demonstration of the Transgender Pride flag on the steps of the SC Statehouse, and then with a day of community-building and games at a nearby park. Want to see a recap of the powerful day of protest and community? Click here to see photos. ([link removed])

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My favorite moment of the day was turning around after speaking at a press conference/rally condemning anti-transgender attacks and seeing so many South Carolinians holding a beautiful – and giant – pride flag on the steps of the Statehouse, the exact place where we've heard so many harmful things about trans people this session. I can't tell you how healing that moment was for me.

Beyond that, the organizing team helped to bring healthcare and legal services to LGBTQ people in non-clinical settings, my personal passion as a queer organizer. Over the course of the day, we helped 100 South Carolinians get tested for HIV, provided nearly a dozen COVID-19 vaccines, and helped hundreds of folks receive letters for their gender marker changes, begin hormone replacement therapy, access mental health services and somatic practitioners, and more.

The entire day felt like a massive breath of relief after such a tough session. I hope taking a look at photos and video from the day will give you the same sense of joy that I felt. Click here to take a look. ([link removed])

In community,
Ivy Hill
Community Health Program Director
Campaign for Southern Equality

P.S. We were honored to connect Field Day attendees with access to the COVID-19 vaccine, right on site! Do you need more information about the vaccine, too? Talk with your health care provider to get the facts about COVID-19 vaccines, because #WeCanDoThis. ([link removed] ) Find a vaccine location near you:

🔎 Search [link removed]
💬 Text your ZIP code to 438829
☎️ Call 1-800-232-0233

Donate to the Campaign for Southern Equality ([link removed])

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