- Title: 'Deadly consequences' - LGBTQ community reacts to Trump's anti-trans agenda
- Date: 12th December 2024
- Summary: VARIOUS OF HISTORIC GAY PROTEST DISPLAYED ON DOORS INSIDE CENTER
- Embargoed: 26th December 2024 11:00
- Keywords: Donald Trump LGBTQ Republicans U.S. president elections gay health care presidential election trans rights transgender
- Location: VARIOUS
- City: VARIOUS
- Country: US
- Topics: Human-Led Feature,Human-Led Stories,North America
- Reuters ID: LVA004614910122024RP1
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: When Angelo Myer, a 26-year-old transgender man, found out that Donald Trump had won the U.S. presidential election last November, he headed to the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center in downtown Manhattan for support.
"Four years of Donald Trump, its effect on the community, and particularly the most vulnerable, I mean, the scale of a catastrophe like this takes me back to the AIDS epidemic," he said.
During his campaign, Trump repeatedly said he would end gender-affirming surgeries and healthcare, including hormone replacement therapy.
"Without the care I have now, I would go as far as to say, I think I might be in the percentage of people who don't make it to the end of Trump's presidency," said Myer, who is a psychology PhD student at CUNY's (City University of New York) Baruch College, currently waiting to schedule his breast removal surgery.
Currently, the future of gender-affirming care for minors is in the hands of the U.S. Supreme Court justices, three of which were chosen by Trump during his first presidency. The court's 6-3 conservative majority held a hearing in L.W. v. Skrmetti/U.S. v. Skrmetti, a Biden administration lawsuit challenging Tennessee's Republican-backed ban on gender-affirming medical care for people under age 18, on December 4th and appeared ready to uphold it. The court will likely make a decision at the end of June, and its approach could affect other transgender laws.
"What we all want is to be able to access care that will affirm our gender, allow us to flourish into who we are, and live lives that are loved and cared for," said Camila Rueda, a 29-year-old transgender woman, who became an information and referral specialist at the center, as well as a part-time yoga instructor and artist, after gender-affirming care helped her conquer debilitating depression.
"The question is, who's best to make the decision?" said Dr. Carla Smith, CEO of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center. "It's the individual who is best to make the decision about their access, and their doctor, or whomever they're trying to access support from."
During his presidential campaign, Trump also vowed to ban transgender female athletes from participating in women's sports. Republicans have spent $222 million on anti-trans TV ads, according to AdImpact, including one that said "Kamala even supports letting biological men compete against our girls in their sports. Kamala is for they/them. President Trump is for you."
Groups such as the American Civil Liberties Union, Transgender Law Center, and others are preparing to fight Trump's anti-trans policies in the courts.
"Republicans watching need to know investing in trans kids is just as important as investing in their own kids because we are the next generation who's going to lead this country," said Myer. "And we have bright ideas, strong futures. We have grit and wisdom that I think our country could benefit from."
There are approximately 1.6 million people in the United States who identify as transgender, according to the Williams Institute at UCLA, which is about 0.5% of the adult population.
"My plan for the next four years is to get very firm and strategic on what the next step forward for us is," said Myer. "How will trans people become more resilient, smarter, stronger, through Trump?"
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