“Sí, se puede!” Was the rallying cry in front of Santa Monica City Hall this Saturday, as a crowd of activists gathered to rally for the rights of transgender Americans in the face of an ever-increasing threat.
The Rally for Trans Resistance hosted a number of speakers from the community, including Karina Samala, chair of the Los Angeles City Transgender Advisory Council, activist and speaker Scott Turner Schofield, Civil Rights Attorney Sandra Fluke, and members of the The Santa Monica Democratic Club and the Stonewall Democratic Club.
The week leading up to Transgender Visibility Day on March 31 was filled with distressing news for trans citizens across the country, from the problematic compromise repeal of HB2, the notorious ‘bathroom bill’ to the news of Arkansas lawmakers taking steps to make trans citizens unable to live an unthreatened public life. Santa Monica, which is in the process of trying to become a sanctuary city, was the perfect place to congregate and fight for trans rights.
Santa Monica Democratic Club Co-President Jon Katz helped organize the rally, telling Daily Kos: “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.”
