TLDEF's message
Dear Editor:
This is the first Veterans' Day on which transgender service members serve openly, recognized by our government for their authentic selves and honored in the open, rather than in the shadows. We thank all transgender military personnel for their service to our country and our community. You have built—along with our allies who serve at your side—upon the strong foundation that countless veterans forged over decades of advocacy and vigilance, showing us as a nation that change, in even the most conservative of institutions, is possible if we keep speaking out.
This Veterans' Day is also bittersweet, falling just days after our united progressive communities were dealt a serious blow. We at TLDEF understand that many in the trans community fear a Trump Administration, believing that the many advances ushered in, by and through the Obama Administration could evaporate overnight. During this time of deep unease, let us hold one another close and acknowledge the concerns we are all experiencing, and help one another to get the support we need.
Though we go forward on what will likely be a difficult path, we need not lose hope, and we need not reconcile ourselves to second class citizenship. Transgender people have survived and thrived through the most hostile of political administrations. We are a battle-tested and resilient group. Be assured, our rights movement cannot be silenced by the stroke of a pen, even if that pen is held by President-elect Trump. Indeed, the many forms of protection put in place by the Obama Administration and the federal courts cannot all be undone overnight. State and city law protections, like court orders recognizing our names and genders and myriad nondiscrimination laws, where available, are not at risk. TLDEF and our sister organizations stand at the ready to protect each and every advancement we won over the last eight years, and we are determined to continue to push, charting new paths forward.
TLDEF will continue to stand strong on behalf of all those we serve. We will redouble our organizing efforts and reaffirm our commitment to transgender equality. We will never waver as we carry out our mission to ensure that all transgender people are treated equitably under the law, and with dignity and respect in our daily lives.
Going forward, we must be united within the trans community and we must also continue to forge alliances with other progressive communities that will also face obstacles over the next four years. TLDEF stands in solidarity with all progressive communities, recognizing that the dignity and humanity of our fellow human beings is not something which is up for debate.
As our community and other progressive communities come to terms with our new reality, be assured that there will be many resources marshaled in our communities to help you. TLDEF will continue to fight in federal and state courts across the country to ensure that the most vulnerable among the trans community are afforded expert legal representation at the highest levels. We will continue to file friend-of-the-court briefs, including a brief in the United States Supreme Court in early January 2017, advocating for Gavin Grimm's right to use the boys restroom at his high school in Virginia. TLDEF's name change project will continue to operate, pairing trans people across the nation with lawyers at leading law firms to ensure barriers to recognition of our authentic selves are minimized. TLDEF is also working to create concrete action steps to provide our community with the resources and expert guidance needed so you can advocate for yourself, your families, and your communities over the next few years. Please keep an eye out in the coming weeks for this guidance. In the meantime, for those of you desiring peace of mind about your federal identity documents such as passports and social security records, here is information from a sister organization that you can use to begin the amendment process.
We are a resilient group. We have been through a lot over a long period of time, and yet, through community, love and faith, we have created room for ourselves and our loved ones to flourish. We well know that nothing is guaranteed in life. We have always found ways, through community, to create a voice for ourselves. And through community, we will support and help each other to survive, and thrive, and have our voices heard.
Jillian Weiss
Executive director
Transgender Legal Defense
& Education Fund ( TLDEF )
A letter to Trump
Dear Editor:
For nearly 100 years, the American Civil Liberties Union has been the nation's premier defender of freedom and justice for all, no matter who is president. Our role is no different today.
President-elect Trump, as you assume the nation's highest office, we urge you to reconsider and change course on certain campaign promises you have made. These include your plan to amass a deportation force to remove 11 million undocumented immigrants; ban the entry of Muslims into our country and aggressively surveil them; punish women for accessing abortion; reauthorize waterboarding and other forms of torture; and change our nation's libel laws and restrict freedom of expression.
These proposals are not simply un-American and wrong-headed, they are unlawful and unconstitutional. They violate the First, Fourth, Fifth, Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments. If you do not reverse course and instead endeavor to make these campaign promises a reality, you will have to contend with the full firepower of the ACLU at every step. Our staff of litigators and activists in every state, thousands of volunteers, and millions of card-carrying supporters are ready to fight against any encroachment on our cherished freedoms and rights.
One thing is certain: we will be eternally vigilant every single day of your presidency and when you leave the Oval Office, we will do the same with your successor.
Anthony D. Romero
Executive director, ACLU
SAGE advice
Dear Editor:
At SAGE, we see the results of this week's election through our commitment to building an equitable world where all LGBT elders are valued and have boundless opportunities. SAGE's commitment is shaped by our core values, which include diversity, respect and compassion.
SAGE stands firm for a policy agenda that makes older Americans a national priority, and that ensures that LGBT elders and elders from all diverse communities—who are among the most vulnerable in our society—are at the center of that priority. SAGE will do everything in our power to advocate for such an agenda. We will vigorously oppose any effort to roll back progress. As is our tradition, we will combine our advocacy with a commitment to work in communities nationwide to ensure that LGBT elders have the services and supports they need.
This year's campaign season has left many in our communities deeply fearful of what is to come. In the face of such fears, we at SAGE are inspired and fortified by the wisdom of our elders who have lived through decades of witch hunts, brutality, criminalization, stigma, AIDS and so much more. Our elders remind us that through all of these unspeakably difficult challenges, we always found hope, stood firm and made progress. We do not know what is to come in the months and years ahead. But what we do know is that we will honor our elders' example by continuing to build the equitable world that they, and we, deserve.
LGBT elders needing emotional support are invited to call the SAGE LGBT Elder Hotline. Provided in partnership with the GLBT National Help Center, calls are being taken at 888-234-SAGE ( 7243 ) on Monday through Friday from 4 p.m. to midnight and from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. ET on Saturdays.
