Now for the news. It’s Trans week of Visibility so let’s just talk all things trans today and only drop good news. Good news like the billboard in South Carolina that says “God Loves Trans Kids”, Maryland passing the Trans Health Equity bill, and a national march for Queer & Trans youth autonomy. Let’s go.

00:00 – Welcome & Intro

1:23 – Black HIV in the South: How Did We Get Here? Trailer

1:55 – Lost & Found for Podcasters Trailer

2:33 – Intro Music by Aina Bre’Yon

3:14 – Today’s Top Stories

3:27 – It’s Trans Week of Visibility

10:08 – South Carolina Billboard reads “Rejoice! God Loves Trans Kids”

11:34 – Maryland passes the Trans Health Equity Act

12:51 – National Queer Youth March

14:06 – Anna’s Word

15:45 – Outro

Things for you to check out

Queer Youth Assemble

Our First Qube Original – Black HIV in the South: How Did We Get Here?

Join the QCrew

Listen to More Queer News

The Blog Post

As we kick off Trans Week of Visibility, there is much to celebrate and much work to be done. From Trans Day of Visibility on March 31st to the digital actions of Trans Week of Visibility and Action, we can all take part in the fight for trans rights. Today, we want to highlight some good news stories about our trans family, including a new billboard in South Carolina that reads “Rejoice! God Loves Trans Kids” and the passing of the Trans Health Equity Act in Maryland.

Trans Week of Visibility occurs annually, the week of March 31st, to celebrate the transgender community and bring attention to the discrimination they face daily. This year, Trans Week of Visibility and Action (TWOVA) was launched by Chase Strangio and Raquel Willis to mobilize against legislative attacks on the trans community, specifically youth. Each day of the week is dedicated to a different focus, such as drag bans, healthcare bans, censorship, bathroom bans, sports bans, and more.

While the work being done by TWOVA is crucial to the fight for trans rights, we also want to share some good news stories about our trans family. The Alliance for Full Acceptance (AFFA) launched a new billboard in South Carolina as part of their “God Loves LGBTQ+ People” campaign. The billboard reads “Rejoice! God Loves Trans Kids” and aims to combat the use of religion as a weapon against the LGBTQ+ community, particularly the trans community. The billboard is located along Interstate 385, and if you’re in South Carolina and live near this interstate, you should check it out.

Another good news story comes from Maryland, where the House passed the Trans Health Equity Act on Saturday. This act expands Medicaid coverage to include gender-affirming procedures for transgender, intersex, nonbinary, and two-spirit individuals. This includes hormone therapy, puberty blockers, hair alterations, and several other gender-affirming procedures that are often covered by private insurance. Currently, the state’s Medicaid program only covers some gender-affirming procedures, leaving low-income residents without access to necessary medical care. If passed by the Senate and approved by Governor Wes Moore, the Trans Health Equity Act will help provide vital healthcare to trans individuals who may not have had access to it before.

It’s important to acknowledge the work being done to support the trans community and the progress being made, while also recognizing the ongoing fight for trans rights. With organizations like TWOVA and AFFA, we can continue to push for equality for all members of the LGBTQ+ community.

At the end of the day, we all have a role to play in the fight for trans rights. Whether it’s donating our time, talent, or treasure to trans-led organizations, educating ourselves and others on trans issues, or advocating for trans rights in our communities and at the legislative level, we can all make a difference. So let’s celebrate Trans Week of Visibility and continue the fight for equality for our trans family.

Transcript

Family, it’s your favorite queer radio personality Anna DeShawn with our queer news for today. Now, I want to make you a promise. We will continue to bring you the latest in queer news, culture, and politics every Monday by 7am CT. So, if you are digging our intersectional take on the weekly, consider joining the QCrew.

The QCrew is our monthly membership program we started to help us grow the podcast. You get weekly emails from me, exclusive interviews with LGBTQ influencers from across the country and beginning this year special behind the scenes footage too. With your support, we can bring you more stories celebrating our lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer & comrade communities. Click the link in the show notes to join the QCrew today. 

Now for the news. It’s Trans week of Visibility so let’s just talk all things Trans today and only drop good news. Let’s go. 

Saturday kicked off Trans week of Visibility. Trans Week of Visibility occurs annually, the week of March 31st, which is the International Transgender Day of Visibility. This event was started in 2009 by Michigan-based transgender activist Rachel Crandall as a way to celebrate the transgender community in all its diversity. It’s also an opportunity to acknowledge the discrimination our trans fam has to face everyday. 

In an effort to amplify this week, in 2021 Chase Strangio and Raquel Willis launched Trans Week of Visibility and Action (TWOVA). The action takes place in the digital space and this year the focus is on mobilizing the masses against the legislative attacks on the trans community, specifically youth. This week aims to center direct action and political education and show how the community can show up for our trans siblings. We must understand this anti-trans political climate we are living in and figure out how we fight back. 

So they’ve organized this week of digital actions that started on Saturday and will culminate on Friday, which is Trans Day of Visibility. Let me tell you what they are focusing on everyday this week. 

Saturday, March 25th was the kickoff day and all about transness is power: breaking the bans. They talked about the 400+ anti-trans and anti-lgbtq bills introduced in at least 34 states. 

Sunday, March 26th was all about the drag bans happening across the country that make absolutely no sense. 

Today, March 27th is about the health care bans and specifically bans on gender-affirming care. You’ve heard me report it time and time again. According to Trans Week This year, at least 27 states have introduced almost 100 healthcare bans targeting trans people. States like OK, TX, FL and MO have introduced multiple bills attempting to ban and restrict health care for trans people of all ages.  FL has gone so far as to introduce a bill that could remove children from homes either where cis parents are affirming their trans children or where trans parents have undergone any medical transition. 

Tuesday, March 28th will be able censorship and forced outing as it pertains to curriculum bans, book bans, and legislation that is forcing people to come out. 

Wednesday the 19th is about the bathroom bans and how they are meant to restrict trans people’s presence in public life and affect the ability of trans people to go to school, work, hospitals, and other essential parts of daily living. 

Thursday the 30th is about the sports bans and how over the last three years 18 states have banned trans girls and women from sports. 

Friday, March 31st is Trans Day of Visibility and they will center Trans joy and power. Owning that joy and power are the true antidote to anti-trans violence. 

What I really love about this campaign is that after they provide the education stuff they give actionable steps we can take politically and socially to affect change. Then they provide ways we can financially support trans-led organizations. In the keynote I gave last weekend at Affinity, I challenged folks to think about their time, talent, and treasure. We all have at least one of these and organizations are always in need of any of the three. 

Now I want to drop a couple of good news stories about our trans fam because we deserve good news too. Let’s start with South Carolina. 

A new billboard in South Carolina has popped up and you know what it says. It says “Rejoice! God Loves Trans Kids”. This billboard is so epic and is definitely causing quite the stir. So who’s behind it. It’s the Alliance for Full Acceptance (AFFA) and they’ve launched this billboard as part of their “God Loves LGBTQ+ People” campaign. The whole goal is to combat the use of religion as a weapon against the LGBTQ+ community and even more specifically the trans community. The billboard is located along Interstate 385 so if you’re in South Carolina and live near this interstate you got to go see it. 

Our second good news story about our trans fam is coming out of Maryland. On Saturday, the House passed the Trans Health Equity Act, which would expand Medicaid coverage to include gender-affirming procedures for transgender, intersex, nonbinary, and two-spirit individuals. Procedures such as, hormone therapy, puberty blockers, hair alterations, and several other gender-affirming procedures that are often covered by private insurance. Currently, the state’s Medicaid program only covers some gender-affirming procedures, leaving low-income residents without access to necessary medical care. The legislation will now move to the Senate, and if passed, will be sent to Governor Wes Moore for approval. Governor Moore has already shown his support of the bill. 

Our third and final good news story about our trans fam is actually coming from the Queer Youth assemble. On March 31st which is trans day of visibility there is a coordinated effort of 30+ marches happening across the country. It’s called the march is called the queer & trans youth autonomy. So what the queer it’s time we create one of the largest queer and trans youth marches in history. Uniting under the common goals of safety, autonomy, and joy. Family, I love everything about this. If you’re in Chicago the march is taking place at 5pm at Grant Park. The details are in the show notes. If you’re in another state I have that link too in the show notes. Go check out the march and support the young people. Let’s go Queer Youth Assemble. 

Let’s close out the podcast with a quote about fear. I’m a fan of Les Brown and his motivational speeches. He always drops some gems and one of his quotes says, “Too many of us are not living our dreams because we are living our fears.” Ohhhh fear will hold you hostage and cause you to have so much doubt in yourself and your dreams. It can cause those negative thoughts to start percolating and before you know it you begin to believe them. You really have to prepare your mind and release that fear and doubt. You are enough. That dream was given to you & no one else. Till next week, family. Peace.   

Sources

Trans Week

https://www.trans-week.com/

God Loves LGBTQ+ People

https://www.godloveslgbtq.com/

‘God loves trans kids’: Billboard sparks conversation about religion and gender identity

https://www.wlbt.com/2023/03/17/god-loves-trans-kids-billboard-sparks-conversation-about-religion-gender-identity/?ref=queerency

Maryland House Passes Bill Requiring Gender-Affirming Care Under Medicaid

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/maryland-transgender-health-care_n_64162a77e4b01ea5cd8e803d?fbclid=IwAR2C-ETfgPXOixNwSp8oIxICwGtLZDZxexcwTNldrm6KL7fLOKpup3ZXoks

MARCH FOR QUEER & TRANS YOUTH AUTONOMY

https://queeryouthassemble.org/march-for-queer-trans-youth-autonomy/

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