#WontBeErased Offers Hopeful Messages In Wake of Anti-Transgender Memo

After news broke that a memo that could threaten the civil rights of transgender citizens was circulating among federal agencies, many are declaring that although the Trump administration may declare gender identity doesn't exist, transgender people #WontBeErased.

The campaign, which highlights the endurance of the transgender community and the resistance to the government declaring that gender is based solely on genitalia, offers hope and empowerment in the wake of the dark news.

Here are some of the most important messages from trans people, the parents of trans children, and other advocates.

\u201cWe\u2019ve been walking this earth before men spoke their first words. We were high priestesses, messengers of the divine, healers, queens\u2019 lovers and kings\u2019 concubines. We were revered. We will show our resilience & we will rise again & again. #WontBeErased https://t.co/NDUhKiR523\u201d
— Cecilia Chung (@Cecilia Chung) 1540151415

\u201c.@realDonaldTrump Don\u2019t pick fights you can\u2019t win. We are not going away. We will not be erased. And we will not surrender to your cowardice and cynicism. November is coming.\n\n#WontBeErased\u201d
— Charlotte Clymer \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6 (@Charlotte Clymer \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6) 1540227717

\u201cCis allies, we need you to use your privilege to amplify our voices. To center us. To invite us to the table. To open doors we don\u2019t have access to. We need you. More than ever. #WontBeErased #CisAssist\u201d
— AC Dumlao (they/he) (@AC Dumlao (they/he)) 1540227884

\u201cI am a #transgender person. I am livid but clear-headed. I am threatened but absolutely resolute. @transequality will always fight. #WontBeErased\u201d
— Mara Keisling (@Mara Keisling) 1540149850

\u201cOur existence as transgender and gender non-binary people is an act of civil disobedience. #WontBeErased\u201d
— Jennicet Guti\u00e9rrez (@Jennicet Guti\u00e9rrez) 1540162671

\u201cThis is my daughter... she is smart and beautiful and brave and has the biggest heart in the world... her future is bright and there are no limits on what she can accomplish... and she #WontBeErased #TransRightsAreHumanRights\u201d
— Paria Hassouri, MD. She/Her. (@Paria Hassouri, MD. She/Her.) 1540149386

\u201cAfter a lifelong struggle, a legal name change, and two years of hormone replacement, I #WontBeErased #TransRightsAreHumanRights\u201d
— \ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\ud83c\udf08\ud83e\uddd4\ud83c\udffb\u200d\u2640\ufe0fMichelangelo\ud83e\uddd4\ud83c\udffb\u200d\u2640\ufe0f\ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\u26a7\ufe0f (@\ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\ud83c\udf08\ud83e\uddd4\ud83c\udffb\u200d\u2640\ufe0fMichelangelo\ud83e\uddd4\ud83c\udffb\u200d\u2640\ufe0f\ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\u26a7\ufe0f) 1540147060

\u201cI didn't transition on the job at ONI in 2006, come out in the @washingtonpost, protest with a bullhorn at the White House or run for Congress for #MA3 to go down without a fight. I #WONTBEERASED. Vote for a Democratic Congress to block these bigots. https://t.co/NEWGzdEIpz\u201d
— Alexandra Chandler (@Alexandra Chandler) 1540150568

\u201cMeet my daughter, Ellie. She is vibrant, artistic and loves a pun. We stand with her and her trans family, especially those most marginalized already by our racist & transphobic systems. #WeWontBeErased #TransIsBeautiful\u201d
— Vanessa Ford (she/her) (@Vanessa Ford (she/her)) 1540152448

\u201cI made this for the bookshop today. #WontBeErased\u201d
— Anthony Oliveira (@Anthony Oliveira) 1540223454

\u201cThis is my daughter. She exists. She will not be erased. Vote as if her life depends on it. It does. So many lives depend on it. #wontbeerased #transequalitynow #thisiswhattranslookslike\u201d
— Jamie Bruesehoff (@Jamie Bruesehoff) 1540147344