On Jan. 14, Boston trans rights activists, radicals and others gathered in front of the Massachusetts State House to rally in solidarity with oppressed communities in the wake of the rising Trump administration’s racist, sexist and anti-worker agenda.
Their program stated:
We Oppose
- White Supremacy in all forms!
- Deportations and oppressive immigration policies!
- Trump’s proposed registry of Muslim people!
- Oppressive policing in communities of color in Boston!
- Boston Police’s plan to spend $1.4 million on surveillance of social networking platforms!
- The proposed repeal of the recently passed public accommodations bill, which bans the discrimination against trans people accessing public accommodations (like bathrooms)
The crowd was young, diverse and united against the incoming Trump regime. The organizers of the action stated:
We the members of the trans and queer community of Boston, as well as our allies/accomplices, announce a rally to denounce Trump’s hateful rhetoric as well as other local violent measures that will harm oppressed communities. We denounce Trump’s anti-LGBTQ and racist vice president, Pence, and we denounce the anti-LBGTQ and racist cabinet that Trump and Pence are assembling.
We oppose white supremacy in all its forms. We support immigration rights and making Boston a sanctuary city. We will help build a support system for our immigrant and undocumented communities. We denounce the proposed Muslim registry of the Trump administration, and denounce the continuation of deportation policies carried on from the Obama administration. Deportations tear apart our families and communities, and the trans and queer community will not be silent on this issue.
On a local level, we denounce the continued surveillance of and oppressive policing in communities of color in Boston. In particular, we denounce the recent initiative by the Boston Police Department to expand surveillance to social networking platforms. This move to target personal online speech is another violent step in the targeted criminalization of Muslim people, people of color, and trans and queers people. Read more here .
In addition, we call on Governor Baker to voice clear opposition to any repeal of the recently passed public accommodations bill, which bans discrimination against trans people accessing public accommodations. This bill will be challenged as a ballot question in 2018, and we must hold our local officials accountable for supporting equality over oppression. As this is a ballot measure, we ask you to also talk to your friends and family about this important issue. Convincing voters is crucial in protecting public accommodations for trans folks. Read more here .
We ask that in addition to rallying with us on January 14, you call the following individuals and ask them to (a) oppose increased policing and oppose police surveillance of social media, (b) support immigrant rights, and (c) support the transgender public accommodations bill as it exists.
Boston Police Commissioner: 617-343-4500
Mayor Walsh: 617- 635-4500
Governor Baker: 888-870-7770
Liberation News interviewed organizer Michelle Tat to find out more about their demonstration as well as the politics behind it.
Liberation News: What was the purpose of today’s action?
Michelle: The purpose of today’s action was to build solidarity within the queer trans community, but more importantly, highlight all the different forms of oppression we are facing as a community. My hope is that in highlighting these (e.g. Islamophobia) that the queer community can mobilize around varied issues among other marginalized communities.
Liberation News: What does the Trump presidency mean to the trans struggle? How could we defeat Trump?
Michelle: Honestly, the Trump administration is the culmination of years of transgender discrimination and hate, that is finally having its lid popped off by the pressures of hate. His administration simply gives a voice to all the transphobics around the country, and here in Massachusetts. Our struggles will continue as long as this far-right fervor continues to embolden political supporters to produce legislation that would bar equal rights for us. Winning will involve meeting hate head-on wherever we see it and telling the stories of transgender folks all across the country. And I don’t mean stories like Caitlyn Jenner or whatever, I mean real stories from our communities, especially from trans folks of color.
Liberation News: What do you plan to do for the future in terms of trans struggle and liberation?
Michelle: This rally sews the seeds for a longer-term plan to fight for trans rights. We really need the queer coalition to understand our struggle. We really need trans folks to understand the issues the rest of our community faces. I hope by understanding out mutual struggles, we can fight together simultaneously across different forms of discrimination surrounding our communities. This will empower community members to step up and become involved in the work. These are the individual stories that need to be heard. And these are the stories that will help us win our fight for liberation.
