On the stage of the LGBTQ Center, a display of unity. (Credit: Valerie Pires)
More than 120 people packed the LGBT Community Center in Manhattan days after the election for a “Voices Beyond the Vote” Town Hall. They brought anxious questions and concerns: Will they lose their healthcare? Could marriage equality be undone? Will their children be safe? What should transgender people do?
They gathered on Nov. 13, one week after Donald Trump was elected president and the Republican Party took control of the U.S. House and Senate, to discuss how to keep LGBTQ people safe and LGBTQ rights protected throughout what is expected to be a contentious and hostile administration.
That expectation arises from the proliferation of anti-LGBTQ legislation and rhetoric coming from Republican lawmakers across the country. In the last year alone, in 43 states, 45 bills were passed into law that limit LGTBQ – and especially, trans – lives. Some mandate, for example, that there are only two sexes and that people must use public bathrooms that match the gender they were assigned at birth; others prohibit the use of public funds (such as Medicaid) for gender-affirming care, while others ban trans girls from participating in girls’ sports at school.
Currently, 81 similar federal bills are in the legislative pipeline. On November 18, Representative Nancy Mace (R, South Carolina) introduced a measure in the U.S. House of Representatives to prohibit transgender women from using women’s restrooms in the Capitol or House office buildings – a move aimed at Delaware Representative-elect Sarah McBride, the first trans person to be elected to Congress.
Meanwhile, the Equality Act, a bill banning discrimination based on sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity in employment, housing, and public accommodations, passed in the House in 2019 and 2021 but stalled in the Senate both times and has languished since.
“I am concerned about how to protect LGBTQ policies,” said Luka Heinrich, a lifelong New Yorker who attended the town hall. “I didn’t know what to do or who to talk to, so I came here.”
Armand Link, originally from Louisiana and a member of the Columbia Queer Alliance, the oldest LGBTQ collegiate student organization, attended the town hall to learn how students can be more involved in LGBTQ advocacy. His husband, Benjamin Link, a Canadian transplant, expressed concern that LGBTQ asylum seekers might lose support and shelter.
Dr. Carla Smith, the executive director of the LGBT Center, acknowledged the grief and uncertainty in the room when she opened the event, pointing out how the “fear factor” and “divisions” had affected election results. In contrast, “we are united,” she said, reminding everyone that resources at The Center were available and would increase in the coming months.
Cathy Marino-Thomas listens to lawmakers, State Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal and Assemblymember Tony Simone of Manhattan, address the stability of marriage equality. (Credit: Valerie Pires)
“I know how important collaboration and unity are to achieving our goals,” said Smith, the first lesbian of color to serve as the Center’s chief executive officer. Behind her stood a group of elected officials and gay rights advocates, among them State Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal, Assemblymember Tony Simone, who represents areas in Manhattan, and State Senator Jabari Brisport, who represents part of Brooklyn. Their message was one for the entire LGBTQ community: There can be no distance between those letters.
The elected representatives said repeatedly that the community must mobilize a local response to a national issue. New York state and New York City, they noted, have historically been at the forefront of LGBTQ rights, and the local LGBTQ community is experienced in fighting for their civil and human rights. The speakers agreed they must create a “Trump-proof” state and city to survive and thrive for the next four years.
Trevon Mayers, the Center’s senior director of advocacy and community engagement, reminded attendees about the importance of acknowledging their wins to counter the gloomy mood even as he acknowledged the long road ahead.
“We’re in it for the long haul,” Mayers said.
Questions about policy and healthcare, education and safety, and trans and disability rights kept coming.
“What will happen when Obamacare is overturned?” asked a community member. Hoylman-Sigal, who represents the 47th District in the State Senate, covering much of the west side of Manhattan, replied that the best protection would be passing the New York Health Act, which would create the nation’s leading single-payer healthcare plan.
“Let’s make New York the leader in universal healthcare!” Hoylman-Sigal exclaimed.
Cathy Marino-Thomas, an LGBTQ activist, asked how safe the standing Respect for Marriage Act, which protects same-sex and interracial unions, was at a federal level and highlighted the risk that LGBTQ people could lose civil rights and legal ground in federal courts.
Neither Senator Hoylman-Sigal nor Assemblymember Simone offered GOP-proof answers. Simone said his main focus was on the U.S. Supreme Court, today led by conservative justices, including Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito, both of whom dissented from the Supreme Court’s 2015 decision establishing the Constitutional right to same-sex marriage. In 2022, Thomas revealed in an opinion he authored in response to the Court’s overturning of Roe vs Wade, which revoked the Constitutional right to abortion, that he thinks the Court should reconsider rulings on contraception and marriage equality.
However, Simone and Hoylman-Sigal reminded attendees that on November 5, New York voters approved the statewide ballot measure, Proposition 1, to amend the State Constitution to expand anti-bias protections, securing abortion and LGBTQ rights, among others.
“Not only do we have marriage codified,” said Hoylman-Sigal, “we now have it in our state constitution.”
Nothing seemed to comfort Trever Berryman, from New York City, who expressed worry about how LGBTQ individuals with mental health issues and disabilities might suffer under the Trump administration.
“This man could harm us really, really badly,” he said, referring to president-elect Trump.
But as the evening progressed, the mood shifted from hopelessness and shock to resistance and action. One attendee stood up and spoke of his fear of presenting himself as a gay man in public spaces. His voice cracked as he asked if he should “be less of myself to stay safe.” From the back of the room, someone yelled, “Never hide!” The crowd responded with an immediate burst of applause.
About the author(s)
Valerie Pires is a journalist and documentary photographer/filmmaker based in NYC. She is currently pursuing an MA in Journalism, specializing in Arts and Culture, at the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism.