The Santa Monica Democratic Club and the Stonewall Democratic Club are staging a protest at noon on Saturday at Santa Monica City Hall to call out President Trump for steps he has taken to reduce protections for transgender people.
“This year already marks a trend in becoming one of the deadliest years on record for those Americans who are transgender with seemingly one violent death per week,” said an announcement of the Rally for Trans Resistance. “By cancelling the previous administration’s executive orders protecting transgender employees of government contractors and school guidelines pertaining to the use of public facilities, President Trump has signaled he will not defend this vulnerable community, thereby emboldening those who are anti-trans.”
Those already committed to speak at the rally include:
Rachael Rose Luckey, executive director of LA TransCon; Isley Reust, a transgender actress, musician and producer; Karina Samala, chair of the Los Angeles City Transgender Advisory Council; Queen Victoria Ortega, a 20-year transgender activist who works with trans patients at St. John’s Hospital; Justine Gonzalez, a trans activist who sits on the City of Los Angeles’ Human Relations Commission; Buck Angel, a trans activist and motivational speaker; Drew Arriola-Sands, a trans musician; Sandra Fluke, a civil rights attorney, and Dr. Sion Roy, a health policy expert; West Hollywood Mayor Lauren Meister; Santa Monica City Councilmember Gleam Davis; Santa Monica City Councilmember Tony Vazquez; Michaela Mendelsohn – Founder of California Transgender Workplace Project
“It is now time for the Los Angeles transgender community along with its allies to send a very clear message to DC. We will not be intimidated and we will not be made invisible,” Luckey said.
Another rally organizer, Santa Monica Democratic Club Co-President Jon Katz, said: “Our club has a history of standing up for civil rights going back to the 1950s. When we heard that Trump was infringing on transgender protections, we wanted to do whatever we could to show our support as allies for a community that is all too often maligned.”
The rally’s hashtag is #RTR and updates will be posted on its Facebook event page. It comes the day after Friday’s International Transgender Day of Visibility.
