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Transgender

Pelosi, Ocasio-Cortez, Sanders, & Dozens Hang Trans Flags for Support

trans flags capitol hill

Dozens of the nation's lawmakers have hung the transgender flag at their offices in a show of support as Trump's trans military ban moves forward.

To show support for transgender people, several politicians including Nancy Pelosi, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Bernie Sanders have displayed the trans flag outside of their offices ahead of Sunday's Transgender Day of Visibility. The flags arrived at the offices of politicians via the National Center for Transgender Equality, which said it was challenging the nation's leaders to show their support for trans people (who are currently under siege by the Trump administration especially in light of the trans military ban).

"To mark this year's #TransVisibilityWeek, we've done something UNPRECEDENTED: With the help of community members & volunteers, we delivered trans pride flags to EVERY member of the Congress, from every party, including voting members and non-voting delegates," the National Center for Transgender Equality tweeted. "Every. Single. One. Our request: Fly them outside your office for #TransVisibilityWeek."

"We'll be RTing and QTing members of Congress all week as they show up for their trans constituents and hang a flag for trans visibility," the organization continued. "Our rights as a community must no longer be ignored. Watch #WontBeErased and #TransVisibilityWeek all this week for more."

Among the country's elected officials who've taken photos of the flags outside their offices and spoken out on social media are U.S. Sen. Sanders (I-Vt.) and U.S. Reps. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), Andy Levin (D-Mich.), Lori Trahan (D-Mass), Mike Doyle (D-Pa.), Gerry Connolly (D-Va.), and several more.

Meanwhile, House Speaker Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Reps. Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.), and Jennifer Wexton (D-Va.) have also reportedly hung their flags in a show of support, according to The Hill.

The call to show support for transgender Americans comes at a time when the rights and well being of trans people are threatened under the Trump administration.

On Wednesday, a federal appeals court struck down the last barrier to the administration's trans military ban going into effect in April.

Several members of Congress are backing legislation to permanently block the ban, and trans troops have testified against the ban before a House subcommittee. But as it stands, as of April 12, the ban goes into effect and an estimated 13,700 trans service members (out of an estimated 15,000 total) will be kicked out, and other openly trans people will not be able to enlist.

Here are some of the tweets from lawmakers proudly showing support for transgender Americans.

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Tracy E. Gilchrist

Tracy E. Gilchrist is the VP, Executive Producer of Entertainment for the Advocate Channel. A media veteran, she writes about the intersections of LGBTQ+ equality and pop culture. Previously, she was the editor-in-chief of The Advocate and the first feminism editor for the 55-year-old brand. In 2017, she launched the company's first podcast, The Advocates. She is an experienced broadcast interviewer, panel moderator, and public speaker who has delivered her talk, "Pandora's Box to Pose: Game-changing Visibility in Film and TV," at universities throughout the country.
Tracy E. Gilchrist is the VP, Executive Producer of Entertainment for the Advocate Channel. A media veteran, she writes about the intersections of LGBTQ+ equality and pop culture. Previously, she was the editor-in-chief of The Advocate and the first feminism editor for the 55-year-old brand. In 2017, she launched the company's first podcast, The Advocates. She is an experienced broadcast interviewer, panel moderator, and public speaker who has delivered her talk, "Pandora's Box to Pose: Game-changing Visibility in Film and TV," at universities throughout the country.