Transgender / Transsexual

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Trans pilot falsely blamed in D.C. plane crash sues conservative influencer

A transgender military pilot filed a defamation lawsuit Wednesday against a conservative influencer who falsely claimed on social media that she was flying the helicopter that collided with a commercial jet near Reagan National Airport in January, killing 67 people.  

“I want to hold this person accountable for what they did to me,” Jo Ellis, a pilot who has served more than 15 years in the Virginia Army National Guard, said in a statement to NBC News. “It’s become too common that people can say horrible things about someone, profit at their expense, and get away with it.” 

Jo Ellis.
Jo Ellis created a “proof of life” video after false claims on social media linked her to the plane crash near Reagan National Airport in January.Jo Ellis

On Jan. 30, less than 24 hours after the crash, conservative influencer Matt Wallace, who has 2.2 million followers on the social media platform X, shared a post from another account he operates stating that the helicopter pilot was transgender, according to the lawsuit. Wallace included a photo of Ellis, and the post went viral, the lawsuit states.  

Wallace deleted that original post, according to the lawsuit, and then shared two others linking Ellis to the crash. One referred to an interview that Ellis did with The Smerconish Podcast, in which she said President Donald Trump’s executive order barring trans people from serving and enlisting in the military made her nervous. 

The second post included photos of Ellis and said she might have participated in “another trans terror attack,” according to the lawsuit. That post received 4.8 million views on X, the suit states.  

Wallace did not immediately return a request for comment regarding the allegations in the lawsuit. 

On Jan. 31, after Ellis learned about the rumors, she shared a “proof of life” video on Facebook.  

“I understand some people have associated me with the crash in D.C., and that is false,” Ellis said in the Facebook video. “It is insulting to the families to try to tie this to some sort of political agenda. They don’t deserve that. I don’t deserve this. And I hope that you all know that I am alive and well, and this should be sufficient for you all to end all the rumors.” 

Soon after Ellis’ statement on Facebook, Wallace shared another X user’s post with Ellis’ video, writing that it was an “Important Update!” and adding that Ellis was not piloting the helicopter and is still alive. Wallace also wrote in another X post that the original rumor that Ellis had been flying the helicopter involved in the crash came from another account with the handle @FakeGayPolitics, which is no longer active. Wallace said the rumor “seemed credible” because Ellis, whom Wallace misgendered in his posts, “wrote an article calling out Trump’s trans military ban only a few days ago.”  

Ellis was not involved in the midair collision, the lawsuit states, did not write an article “calling out” Trump’s trans military ban and did not engage in “another trans terror attack.” 

Equality Legal Action Fund, an LGBTQ legal organization representing Ellis, argues in the complaint that Wallace “concocted a destructive and irresponsible defamation campaign” against Ellis. 

“The damage caused to Plaintiff by Defendant was instantaneous and immense,” the lawsuit continues. “Prior to Defendant’s campaign, Plaintiff was a private citizen who led a private life away from social media and the limelight. When Plaintiff awoke on January 31, 2025, she discovered she was the second most-trending topic in the United States on X with more than 90,000 posts mentioning her name or her likeness. Plaintiff was forced into the public sphere and can no longer remain a private citizen due to Defendant’s lies.” 

Ellis said her life was “turned upside down” by Wallace’s posts.  

“I feared for the safety of my family and myself and had to arrange private armed security,” she said in her statement to NBC News. “I’m now recognized in public and forever associated with that terrible tragedy over the Potomac. When I go out in public I have to look over my shoulder now.” 

Ellis’ suit seeks damages for the injury to her reputation, though Ellis said she plans to donate any money that she wins from the suit to the families of the people who died in the crash.   

Trans people have increasingly been falsely blamed for tragedies and violence in recent years, particularly after mass shootings. Since 2022, false or unconfirmed claims have linked trans people to mass shootings in Uvalde, Texas; Nashville, Tennessee; Philadelphia; Madison, Wisconsin; and Des Moines, Iowa.  

In addition, since January, the Trump administration has enacted several policies targeting trans people, including the trans military ban, which states that being openly trans “is not consistent with the humility and selflessness required of a service member.” Two judges have temporarily blocked that policy from taking effect. 

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Hormones and surgery improve transgender men’s quality of life: study

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Gender-affirming care directly improves quality of life among transgender men by increasing their satisfaction with their bodies, a new study has proven.

The report, “Understanding the Role of Gender Congruence and Affirming Care in Trans Men’s Body Image and Quality of Life” published in the International Journal of Transgender Health, surveyed 166 trans men, measuring their physiological, psychological, social, and environmental quality of life.

“Most research involving TGD [trans and gender diverse] populations has focused on clinical mental health outcomes such as suicidality,” the report states. “While such outcomes are crucial to explore, it is equally important to examine the broader well-being of TGD people, including factors that contribute to their overall quality of life (QoL).”

The report found that improving trans men’s gender congruence — the sense of alignment between one’s gender identity, body, and others’ perceptions of them — “can have cascading benefits for other dimensions of well-being, including body satisfaction and [quality of life], by reducing dysphoria and promoting a more cohesive sense of self.” The report concluded that gender congruence can be improved through gender-affirming care.

Gender-affirming care encompasses several forms of therapies that are meant to validate a person’s gender identity, including talk therapy, hormone therapy, or surgical procedures. The report found that chest surgery was “associated with improved physiological, psychological, and environmental QoL,” while hormone replacement therapy “improved psychological and environmental QoL.” 

The report noted that while “gender-affirming care may not directly alter how individuals perceive their bodies,” it instead “fosters a sense of alignment between physical appearance and gender identity, a key driver of body satisfaction.”

“Our results highlight that fostering positive gender congruence, which enhances body satisfaction, significantly improves physical and psychological functioning,” it concluded. “This finding underscores the critical role of addressing body satisfaction within gender-affirming care.”

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Trump admin orders scientists to research transition “regret”: It’s “America’s Cass Review”

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According to Nature, several National Institute of Health (NIH) employees who wish to remain anonymous confirmed that the White House is instructing the biomedical agency to study the negative effects of gender transitioning. This directive was issued after nearly every research project on transgender health was defunded by the NIH.

Since Donald Trump was sworn in on January 20th, he has been on a crusade to cut “unnecessary spending within government agencies” and heavily limit the rights and public presence of trans people in society. 

The NIH, the world’s largest financial contributor to biomedical research, was not spared from the ire of the Trump administration. According to this data sheet by the HHS, more than 270 NIH grants totaling $125 million were canceled. The number is believed to be far greater, with Nature reporting that more than $180 million in grants for research on transgender health were upended.

During this time, Matthew Memoli was the interim director of the NIH after being appointed by Trump, while Trump’s nominated choice, Jay Bhattacharya, awaited confirmation from the Senate. During Memoli’s last two weeks, he sent emails to the directors of various NIH institutes informing them that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) was directed to fund research on studies relating to transgender people who regret transitioning to align their bodies with their gender identity and what it calls “chemical and surgical mutilation” of children and adults.

Though no studies have been published as of this moment, many people reacting to the news on social media are comparing this to the Cass Review, a report on gender-affirming care for transgender youth released by the National Health Service in England. The Cass Review was heavily criticized for misrepresenting data to promote transphobic bias and is scoffed at by academic researchers and institutions globally.

Gillian Branstetter of the ACLU wrote in a post on Bluesky, “This is functionally what the Cass Review was in the UK and lots of people in prestige media swallowed it whole while accusing trans people ourselves of ‘politicizing science’ by pointing that out,” in reference to the NIH directive.

The legitimacy of the NIH’s findings will no doubt face similar criticism due to the Trump administration’s bias against funding medical research into trans lives.

Numerous studies have already been published that show that trans people are unlikely to regret medically transitioning. One study found that top surgery patients report 100% satisfaction with their surgery, according to the University of Michigan. Another study published in JAMA Pediatrics indicated that only 3% regret transitioning, which is far lower than for other medical treatments.

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Trans student’s arrest for violating Florida bathroom law is thought to be a first

A transgender college student declared “I am here to break the law” before entering a women’s restroom at the Florida State Capitol and being led out in handcuffs by police. Civil rights attorneys say the arrest of Marcy Rheintgen last month is the first they know of for violating transgender bathroom restrictions passed by numerous state legislatures across the country.

Capitol police had been alerted and were waiting for Rheintgen, 20, when she entered the building in Tallahassee March 19. They told her she would receive a trespass warning once she entered the women’s restroom to wash her hands and pray the rosary, but she was later placed under arrest when she refused to leave, according to an arrest affidavit.

Rheintgen faces a misdemeanor trespassing charge punishable by up to 60 days in jail and is due to appear in court in May.

“I wanted people to see the absurdity of this law in practice,” Rheintgen told The Associated Press. “If I’m a criminal, it’s going to be so hard for me to live a normal life, all because I washed my hands. Like, that’s so insane.”

At least 14 states have adopted laws barring transgender women from entering women’s bathrooms at public schools and, in some cases, other government buildings. Only two — Florida and Utah — criminalize the act. A judge on Wednesday temporarily blocked Montana’s new bathroom law.

Rheintgen’s arrest in Florida is the first that American Civil Liberties Union attorneys are aware of in any state with a criminal ban, senior staff attorney Jon Davidson said.

Rheintgen was in town visiting her grandparents when she decided to pen a letter to each of Florida’s 160 state lawmakers informing them of her plan to enter a public restroom inconsistent with her sex assigned at birth. The Illinois resident said her act of civil disobedience was fueled by anger at seeing a place she loves and visits regularly grow hostile toward trans people.

“I know that you know in your heart that this law is wrong and unjust,” she wrote in her letter to lawmakers. “I know that you know in your heart that transgender people are human too, and that you can’t arrest us away. I know that you know that I have dignity. That’s why I know that you won’t arrest me.”

Her arrest comes as many Republican-led states that have enacted restroom restrictions grapple with how to enforce them. Laws in Alabama, Kansas, Kentucky and North Dakota do not spell out any enforcement mechanism, and even the state laws that do largely rely on private individuals to report violations.

In Utah, activists flooded a tip line created to alert state officials to possible violations of its bathroom law with thousands of hoax reports in an effort to shield transgender residents and their allies from any legitimate complaints that could lead to an investigation.

The Republican sponsors of the Florida bathroom law, Rep. Rachel Plakon and Sen. Erin Grall, did not immediately respond Thursday to phone messages, emails and visits to their offices to seek comment on Rheintgen’s arrest. They have said the restrictions are needed to protect women and girls in single-sex spaces.

Opponents of the law such as Nadine Smith, executive director of the LGBTQ+ advocacy group Equality Florida, said it creates dangerous situations for all by giving people license to police others’ bodies in bathrooms.

“The arrest of Marcy Rheintgen is not about safety,” Smith said. “It’s about cruelty, humiliation and the deliberate erosion of human dignity. Transgender people have been using restrooms aligned with their gender for generations without incident. What’s changed is not their presence — it’s a wave of laws designed to intimidate them out of public life.”

If Rheintgen is convicted, she worries she could be jailed with men, forced to cut her long hair and prevented temporarily from taking gender-affirming hormones.

“People are telling me it’s a legal test, like this is the first case that’s being brought,” she said. “It’s how they test the law. But I didn’t do this to test the law. I did it because I was upset. I can’t have any expectations for what’s going to happen because this has never been prosecuted before. I’m horrified and scared.”

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Reality star Ts Madison opens re-entry home for formerly incarcerated Black trans women

Ts Madison, a reality TV personality and LGBTQ advocate, opened a re-entry house in Atlanta this week for formerly incarcerated Black transgender women.

“This is about providing not only shelter but access to opportunities they’ve been denied,” Madison told NBC News.

The TS Madison Starter House debuted Monday on Transgender Day of Visibility and will host a cohort of five residents participating in a 90-day program designed to support their reentry into society. Organizers said the program will offer stable housing, gender-affirming health care, job assistance, GED support, life-skills training, nutrition education and individualized therapy.

Exterior of Ts Madison Starter House.
The Ts Madison Starter House opened in Atlanta on Monday, which was Transgender Day of Visibility. Courtesy Ts Madison Starter House

Madison, known for her reality series “The Ts Madison Experience” on We TV, has long advocated for trans rights. She has also openly discussed overcoming homelessness and survival sex work. 

“I wanted to make space for these girls,” she said. “I wanted to teach them how to be successful without relying on their bodies but on their other gifts.”

Transgender people — especially Black trans women — experience homelessness at disproportionately high rates. A study published in 2020 by the Williams Institute at UCLA Law found 8% of trans adults reported recent homelessness, compared to 1% of cisgender straight adults. The 2015 U.S. Transgender Survey, conducted by the National Center for Transgender Equality (now Advocates for Trans Equality), found that 42% of Black trans adults have experienced homelessness in their lifetime.

Survival sex work is also common among trans people experiencing homelessness, with the National Alliance to End Homelessness reporting that 98% of unsheltered trans people have engaged in high-risk behaviors, including sex work, to survive.

Dominique Morgan, executive director of Black and Pink, a national nonprofit supporting LGBTQ people affected by incarceration, collaborated with Madison on the house’s creation. Morgan, who spent nearly a decade in prison, said she knows firsthand the barriers trans people face post-release, and she praised Morgan’s vision.

“This project isn’t just about housing — it’s about creating a space where Black trans women can thrive, not just survive,” she said. 

The house, Morgan added, offers more than just a short-term stay. 

“After 90 days, when they graduate, they’re not being thrown out into the world alone,” she said. “They have a network, a community and a group of people who are there to support them.”

Madison also partnered with NAESM, Inc., a nonprofit providing health care and HIV/AIDS services to Atlanta’s LGBTQ communities. Actress and activist Monroe Alise, who works closely with NAESM, applauded the partnership.

“Through this, we’re ensuring Black trans women have the tools to move beyond survival and into stability,” Alise said.

Morgan said the intake process and the programming are “extremely robust.”

“We don’t believe in a one-size-fits-all model. Some residents might need job prep. Others may need mental health support or to learn how to cook healthy meals,” she said. 

The Ts Madison Starter House is not reliant on government funding, according to Madison, and she said this is especially important given the current rollback of transgender rights. 

“This is funded by the people, for the people,” she said. “Even with the government cutting funding, we don’t need them. We have each other. It’s kind of like an underground railroad.”

Madison said she’s documenting the journey of Starter House and its residents and hopes the program becomes a model for other similar efforts. She said the forthcoming docuseries is already in production and vowed it will showcase transformation, not trauma.

“We’re not doing it like a ‘Baddies,’” Madison said, referring to a reality show known for its drama-filled portrayals of women. “No, these are the girls overcoming. These are the triumphs.”

She added, “This is about possibility and transformation, not exploitation.”

As for Morgan, when asked about the docuseries component of the Starter House project, she said visibility is key: “Historically, queer people who are most accepted are the ones the public sees. That’s why this matters.”

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The media has yet to embrace the dignity & complexity of trans lives

Trailblazing transgender pageant contestant Bella Bautista recently withdrew from the Miss Georgia USA competition, saying that the organization’s values no longer aligned with her “personal values” and “mission for inclusivity and a world free from discrimination.” She said she could not share more details due to ongoing legal proceedings, but confirmed in Teen Vogue that her resignation was in part due to the head of the organization’s support for the president. 

Bautista, a 22-year-old former Miss Buckhead USA 2025, had recently made headlines for becoming the first openly trans contestant in the state’s pageant. “I wanted nothing more than to be the representation our community needs,” she said on Instagram, “especially in this moment. But more than that, I know how important it is to stand firm and speak up when something isn’t right. Too often, as transgender women, we walk into spaces and remain silent when we’re treated unfairly—out of fear, out of exhaustion, out of the hope that maybe things will change if we just endure. But I refuse to stay silent.”

Her experience underscores the pervasive misalignment between media platforms and authentic inclusivity. Media serves as both mirror and molder of public perception, so it’s not surprising that the current inclusion of transgender individuals in various forms of media remains fraught with challenges. 

Despite incremental progress, mainstream media often maddeningly oscillates between superficial representation and outright misrepresentation, perpetuating stereotypes that undermine the dignity and complexity of transgender lives.

“The media has immense power in shaping how the public sees trans people,” transgender Minnesota State Representative Leigh Finke told LGBTQ Nation. “When we are reduced to headlines, stereotypes, or political talking points, it strips us of our humanity. Fair and accurate representation isn’t just about visibility — it’s about ensuring that people see us as who we truly are: complex, full human beings deserving of dignity and respect.” 

Figures like Finke embody the transformative power of authentic representation. Elected in 2022 as the state’s first openly transgender lawmaker, Finke has been instrumental in advancing legislation that safeguards transgender rights. 

But Finke’s journey has not been devoid of adversity. She has faced personal attacks, including misgendering and derogatory remarks from colleagues. 

Finke said the media must come to terms with its duty to act responsibly and ethically. The disparity between the media’s portrayal of transgender individuals and the lived realities of people like Bautista and Finke calls for a recalibration of narratives. 

While there have been strides toward visibility, the quality of representation often falls short. Transgender stories are frequently sensationalized, reducing complex human experiences to mere headlines. This superficial engagement not only distorts public understanding but also inflicts tangible harm on the transgender community, reinforcing misconceptions and fueling discrimination. 

Media outlets must move beyond tokenistic representation and engage with transgender stories in a manner that is both respectful and nuanced. This entails providing platforms for transgender voices to narrate their own experiences, challenge harmful stereotypes, and hold institutions accountable for their roles in perpetuating inequality.

Trans people in media are so often reduced to caricatures, punchlines, or villains, to tragic figures who exist only for debate or spectacle. TV shows still trot out harmful tropes like the “deceptive trans woman” or the “mentally unstable trans person,” reinforcing the idea that we are something to be feared or pitied rather than understood. 

Even when news media tries to be “balanced,” it often frames our rights as a debate rather than a fundamental truth. All of this creates a climate where trans people are seen as burdens or problems to be solved rather than as human beings deserving dignity and respect.  

And yet, there are moments where folks get it right. When trans people are shown as whole, complex, joyful, flawed, and fully human, it changes everything. Documentaries that center our voices, rather than just talking about us, help reshape public perception. TV shows and movies that cast trans actors in trans roles give us agency over our own narratives. News outlets that hire trans journalists to report on trans issues ensure that our stories are told with accuracy and nuance. When representation is done right, it not only helps others see us as we truly are but also gives trans people, especially trans youth, the chance to see themselves reflected in a way that says: You exist, you matter, and you belong.

Transgender Day of Visibility serves as a poignant reminder of the strides made and the work yet to be done. It is an opportunity for members of media organizations to reflect on its influence and to commit to practices that not only increase visibility but do so in a way that affirms the humanity and diversity of transgender individuals. Only through such intentional efforts can media fulfill its potential as a catalyst for genuine understanding and societal progress.

“If we want to improve trans visibility in the media, we need to start by putting trans voices at the center of the conversation. That means mentoring, educating, and hiring trans politicians, academics, journalists, consultants, and storytellers,” Finke said. “It means supporting independent trans creators and holding major media outlets accountable for harmful narratives. Representation isn’t just about being seen—it’s about being heard in ways that are truthful and empowering. And for that, we will need all of us.”

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In Memphis, Kayla Gore is building homes — and a future — for Black trans people

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While lawmakers across the country push a record number of anti-LGBTQ+ bills, in Tennessee, Kayla Gore is pushing back — not just through protest but with power tools, persistence, and vision. 

In a quiet stretch of Memphis, she’s creating something remarkable: a neighborhood of tiny homes designed to house Black transgender people and nonbinary individuals impacted by housing insecurity. Her nonprofit, My Sistah’s House, founded in 2016, is reimagining what safety and autonomy can look like in the South.

Gore and her work are featured in the GLAAD Media Award-nominateddocumentary American Problems, Trans Solutions, hosted and produced by Emmy and Peabody-winning trans journalist Imara Jones, the founder of TransLash Media. The film follows Gore alongside Breonna McCree and Oluchi Omeoga, each a leading visionary, community-rooted response to systemic failures — from housing inequality to immigrant justice. Gore appears in the film walking through the lots she and her team have developed for trans and nonbinary people in need, describing the homes with pride. “It really helps people who would never, ever in their wildest dreams think they could own a home,” she says in the documentary.

The Advocate recently spoke to Gore about her work and the documentary.

“We wanted to build sheds,” Gore said, remembering how the project took root during the pandemic and Black Lives Matter uprisings. “That was the original goal. But the support came in so strong, we started buying land. An architect reached out. We realized — we could actually build homes.”

Related: Tennessee Senate passes bill making ‘recruiting’ for trans youth care a felony

Today, My Sistah’s House has completed 11 homes, each one filled. “The 11th house will be occupied on the first [of April],” Gore told The Advocate. “Somebody’s moving in.” More are on the way. But Gore is clear: This work is not aspirational — it’s urgent.

According to the American Civil Liberties Union, 527 anti-LGBTQ+ bills are advancing in state legislatures across the country.Tennessee, where Gore’s work is based, is among the worst. In 2025 alone, the ACLU is tracking more than a dozen bills in the state targeting health care, education, and legal recognition for LGBTQ+ people — especially transgender Tennesseans.

“These policies don’t just create stigma — they cause homelessness,” Gore told The Advocate. “We’re already blocked out of economics. Then you repeal HUD’s Equal Access Rule, and trans people lose even the minimal protections we had in shelters.”

Transgender people — particularly Black and Brown trans individuals — face alarming rates of housing instability. According to the 2022 U.S. Transgender Survey conducted by the National Center for Transgender Equality, nearly 30 percent of transgender people have experienced homelessness at some point in their lives due to their gender identity. For transgender people of color, the rates are even higher. According to a 2022 Harvard Civil Rights – Civil Liberties Law Review report, 41 percent of Black trans people have experienced homelessness.

The Equal Access Rule, first established by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development under President Barack Obama in 2012 and expanded in 2016, required that people seeking shelter be housed in accordance with their gender identity rather than their sex assigned at birth. It barred shelter providers from intrusive questioning or requiring anatomical or medical documentation. The rule was designed to ensure that transgender people could access HUD-funded shelters safely and without discrimination — including emergency shelters with shared sleeping or bathing facilities.

However, on February 7, HUD Secretary Scott Turner announced the agency would halt enforcement of the rule, declaring that HUD programs would now be guided by “biological truth” and provide services “based on sex at birth.” Housing advocates, including the National Low Income Housing Coalition, condemned the rollback, emphasizing its harmful impact on already vulnerable transgender people and pledging to continue fighting for equal access.

Gore says the rollback of Equal Access has real consequences: “Trans people are being turned away. We hear it directly from people applying for shelter.”

My Sistahs House Memphis Tennessee Kayla Gore construction teamGore and her team working on a new building.Sean Black for My Sistah’s House

“Well, it’s not affecting us in a way of funding because we don’t get federal funding,” she said. “But without the strong enforcement of the equal access rule, like many trans people, specifically here in Memphis, they’re going to be displaced, they’re going to be homeless, and, I mean, that’s just the bottom line about it.”

Related: Under Trump, U.S. government now supports Tennessee law against gender-affirming care

Gore knows this firsthand. She once experienced homelessness in Arizona after losing her job — and says housing became even harder to access once she began her gender transition. 

“I had a roof but no stove, no fridge. I was barely able to close my door,” she recalled. “So when I bought my own home, I thought — we can pay this forward. That’s how My Sistah’s House started.”

The homes are modest, light-filled, and permanent. Built through a mutual aid model, they bypass traditional barriers like credit checks and down payments. Residents now sign rental agreements, but Gore envisions a future where a community land trust enables ownership. 

“We’re in the process of forming a community land trust,” she told The Advocate. “Some students at the University of Memphis are promising to work with us online, getting through the legal part of forming an actual community land trust so that it protects everybody involved — the organization, our residents, and the people in the adjacent houses.”

But the path forward isn’t easy. Gore’s success has drawn attention — and rising land prices. Lots that once cost $2,500 now go for $15,000. So, the organization is pivoting. A drop-in center and emergency shelter are in the works to meet growing needs on a plot of land that is zoned accordingly.

My Sistahs House Memphis Tennessee Kayla Gore new residentsMy Sistahs House Memphis Tennessee Kayla Gore new residentsSean Black for My Sistah’s House

Since the Trump administration returned to office and began targeting transgender people with executive orders, Gore said demand for services has surged. 

“In recent months, we’ve seen more housing requests than the entire previous year,” she said.

Still, there are moments of hope when talking about a family who moved from a shelter into one of the homes, Gore beams. 

“That was a full-circle moment,” she said. “And people in the neighborhood want to move in too because they see the beauty of these homes.”

TK CAPTIONSean Black for My Sistah’s House

Her neighbors in South Memphis and Glenview are curious — and often supportive. Some ask how to rent one. Others admire the design. Gore said their interest signals a shift in how trans-led development is viewed — but she also pointed to persistent barriers. 

“If a white gay man is living on the street, property values go up,” she said. “But add Black trans women, and suddenly people think it brings the community down.” Gore emphasized that transgender people still face structural and cultural exclusion, even when their presence improves neighborhoods. “People should be throwing land at us,” she said, “but instead, we have to fight for every lot.”

In American Problems, Trans Solutions, Gore explains the practice of putting signs up at construction sites: a signal of pride and presence. “We don’t put them up at occupied homes — we don’t want to put anyone at risk. But while we’re building, it creates visibility and normality.”

Gore lays out her dream: a world where My Sistah’s House doesn’t have to exist. 

She admits she said as much in the documentary, but in light of the new Republican regime and escalating threats to transgender rights, she added, “In this climate, it’s just not foreseeable for us to even think that right now.”

For Transgender Day of Visibility, My Sistah’s House is hosting a citywide rally in Memphis. The bridge will be lit in the trans flag’s colors. The mayor will be there. So will the community.

“People say, ‘Don’t you want to move to a blue state?’” Gore said. “But the work is here. Memphis is a blue city in a red state. Our local government supports us. And our community needs us.”

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Transgender bathroom restrictions take effect as Montana governor signs law

Transgender people in Montana can no longer use bathrooms in public buildings that do not align with their sex assigned at birth after Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte signed new restrictions into law Thursday.

The law requires public buildings including the state Capitol, schools, jails, prisons, libraries and state-funded domestic violence shelters to provide separate spaces for men and women.

It defines the sexes in state law based on a person’s chromosomes and reproductive biology, even as a district court ruling earlier this year declared the definitions unconstitutional.

The new law also declares that there are only two sexes, male and female, going against a judge’s 2024 ruling that struck down that same definition.

Under the law, transgender people cannot use public restrooms, changing rooms and sleeping areas that align with their gender identity. The law does not explain how people in charge of public facilities should verify someone’s sex.

Rep. Kerri Seekins-Crowe, the Republican sponsor, said it was not meant to be exclusionary but to preserve safe spaces for women.

A transgender man who has undergone a medical transition to develop more masculine features such as facial hair, muscle definition and a deeper voice is now required by law to use the women’s restroom.

Republican lawmakers swiftly approved the measure despite vocal opposition from Democrats who worried it would complicate daily life for two fellow lawmakers who are transgender and nonbinary. Among them was Rep. Zooey Zephyr, the Missoula Democrat who was silenced and sanctioned by her Republican colleagues in 2023 for comments she made on the House floor.

Zephyr warned it would embolden some to police another person’s gender in public, which she said could create hostile situations for everyone.

The law allows people to sue a facility for not preventing transgender people from using a certain restroom or changing room. They can recover nominal damages, generally $1, and the entity could be required to pay the plaintiff’s legal fees.

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Transgender people are about 1% of the U.S. population. Yet they’re a political lightning rod.

On the campaign trail, Donald Trump used contentiousness around transgender people’s access to sports and bathrooms to fire up conservative voters and sway undecideds. And in his first months back in office, Trump has pushed the issue further, erasing mention of transgender people on government websites and passports and trying to remove them from the military.

It’s a contradiction of numbers that reveals a deep cultural divide: Transgender people make up less than 1% of the U.S. population, but they have become a major piece on the political chess board — particularly Trump’s.

For transgender people and their allies — along with several judges who have ruled against Trump in response to legal challenges — it’s a matter of civil rights for a small group. But many Americans believe those rights had grown too expansive.

The president’s spotlight is giving Monday’s Transgender Day of Visibility a different tenor this year.

“What he wants is to scare us into being invisible again,” said Rachel Crandall Crocker, the executive director of Transgender Michigan who organized the first Day of Visibility 16 years ago. “We have to show him we won’t go back.”

So why has this small population found itself with such an outsized role in American politics?

The focus on trans people is part of a long-running campaign

Trump’s actions reflect a constellation of beliefs that transgender people are dangerous, are men trying to get access to women’s spaces or are pushed into gender changes that they will later regret.

The American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Medical Association and other major medical groups have said that gender-affirming treatments can be medically necessary and are supported by evidence.

Zein Murib, an associate professor of political science and women’s, gender and sexuality studies at Fordham University, said there has been a decades-old effort “to reinstate Christian nationalist principles as the law of the land” that increased its focus on transgender people after a 2015 U.S. Supreme Court ruling recognizing same-sex marriage nationwide. It took a few years, but some of the positions gained traction.

One factor: Proponents of the restrictions lean into broader questions of fairness and safety, which draw more public attention.

Sports bans and bathroom laws are linked to protecting spaces for women and girls, even as studies have found transgender women are far more likely to be victims of violence. Efforts to bar schools from encouraging gender transition are connected to protecting parental rights. And bans on gender-affirming care rely partly on the idea that people might later regret it, though studies have found that to be rare.

Since 2020, about half the states passed laws barring transgender people from sports competitions aligning with their gender and have banned or restricted gender-affirming medical care for minors. At least 14 have adopted laws restricting which bathrooms transgender people can use in certain buildings.

In February, Iowa became the first state to remove protections for transgender people from civil rights law.

It’s not just political gamesmanship. “I think that whether or not that’s a politically viable strategy is second to the immediate impact that that is going to have on trans people,” Fordham’s Murib said.

Many voters think trans rights have gone too far

More than half of voters in the 2024 election — 55% — said support for transgender rights in the United States has gone too far, according to AP VoteCast. About 2 in 10 said the level of support has been about right, and a similar share said support hasn’t gone far enough.

Nevertheless, AP VoteCast also found voters were split on laws banning gender-affirming medical treatment, such as puberty blockers or hormone therapy, for minors. Just over half were opposed to these laws, while just under half were in favor.

Trump voters were overwhelmingly likely to say support for transgender rights has gone too far, while Kamala Harris’ voters were more divided. About 4 in 10 Harris voters said support for transgender rights has not gone far enough, while 36% said it’s been about right and about one-quarter said it’s gone too far.

A survey this year from the Pew Research Center found Americans, including Democrats, have become more slightly more supportive of requiring transgender athletes to compete on teams that match their sex at birth and more supportive on bans on gender-affirming medical care for transgender minors since 2022. Most Democrats still oppose those kinds of measures, though.

Leor Sapir, a fellow at Manhattan Institute, a right-leaning think tank, says Trump’s and Republicans’ positions have given them a political edge.

“They are putting their opponents, their Democratic opponents, in a very unfavorable position by having to decide between catering to their progressive, activist base or their median voter,” he said.

Not everyone agrees.

“People across the political spectrum agree that in fact, the major crises and major problems facing the United States right now is not the existence and civic participation of trans people,” said Olivia Hunt, director of federal policy for Advocates for Trans Equality.

And in the same election that saw Trump return to the presidency, Delaware voters elected Sarah McBride, the first transgender member of Congress.

The full political fallout remains to be seen

Paisley Currah, a political science professor at the City University of New York, said conservatives go after transgender people in part because they make up such a small portion of the population.

“Because it’s so small, it’s relatively unknown,” said Currah, who is transgender. “And then Trump has kind of used trans to signify what’s wrong with the left. You know: ‘It’s just too crazy. It’s too woke.’”

But Democratic politicians also know the population is relatively small, said Seth Masket, director of the Center on American Politics at the University of Denver, who is writing a book about the GOP.

“A lot of Democrats are not particularly fired up to defend this group,” Masket said, citing polling.

For Republicans, the overall support of transgender rights is evidence they are out of step with the times.

“The Democrat Party continues to find themselves on the wrong side of overwhelmingly popular issues, and it proves just how out of touch they are with Americans,” National Republican Congressional Committee spokesperson Mike Marinella said.

Some of that message may be getting through. In early March, California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a potential 2028 Democratic presidential candidate, launched his new podcast by speaking out against allowing transgender women and girls competing in women’s and girls sports.

And several other Democratic officials have said the party spends too much effort supporting transgender rights. Others, including U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, have said they oppose transgender athletes in girls and women’s sports.

Jay Jones, the student government president at Howard University and a transgender woman, said her peers are largely accepting of transgender people.

“The Trump administration is trying to weaponize people of the trans experience … to help give an archenemy or a scapegoat,” she said. But “I don’t think that is going to be as successful as the strategy as he thinks that it will be.”

/ /

This trans chaplain reminds us that visibility is more than presence. It’s power.

If faith is a journey, Reverend Caroline Morison has taken the scene route—one with a few unexpected detours, a military escort, and a very well-placed tube of mascara.

Long before she was among the first openly enlisted transgender soldiers in the U.S. Army National Guard, Caroline was an “Army brat” raised on duty, discipline, and a globe-spanning childhood. She grew up with a calling to both serve and care. So, Morrison joined the Army’s Chaplain Corps straight out of high school. While most of us were still figuring out how to microwave ramen without starting a fire, Caroline was deploying, serving, and wrestling with a God she hadn’t met yet.

“I wasn’t exactly mature enough to be on my own,” she laughed, recounting her early days in active duty. “Let’s just say I was sewing some wild oats.”

Those oats eventually sprouted into a life lived at the intersection of faiths. As a Religious Affairs Specialist, Caroline ensured the freedom of religious expression for every soldier, whether they were Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Pagan, or simply unsure. In those quiet moments of service, her theology began to shift. “God is where God is sought,” she told me. “It doesn’t have to be Christian. It’s where anyone is asking questions. That’s where God is.”

But Caroline’s questions of self didn’t begin in a pew or a deployment tent. They started in a dictionary.

“Before YouTube, there was the dictionary,” she joked. It was in those pages, somewhere between tranquilize and transubstantiation, that she found the word transgender. “It scared the daylights out of me,” she said. “I was Southern Baptist at the time. That word wasn’t okay. But it was me.”

Cue the mascara.

Wearing it got her in trouble. Keeping it hidden almost destroyed her. “I spent a week in the psych ward at the VA hospital after trying to end my life,” she shared, her voice steady. “They found my clothes. Called me Corporal Klinger. My dad even got a call from my first sergeant.” Yet, by some miracle–or perhaps grace–none of it showed up in her discharge paperwork. Which meant she could come back.

And she did.

In 2016, as President Obama lifted the ban on transgender military service, Caroline was already deep in seminary, falling in love with a God who didn’t wasn’t a punishing or judgmental deity. She came out in 2017; sadly, a month after coming out, President Trump tweeted his first ban. “It was a lot of everything,” she sighed. Still, Caroline persisted. She was among the first openly enlisted trans soldiers to navigate a military system, one with no roadmaps and little understanding. There was a heartbreaking moment during a session with her fellow chaplains. “All of us got together for a training, and I listened to [them] talk about what they could and couldn’t do,” she reflected. “What their denominations wouldn’t allow them to do and would allow them to do for transgender people.” It hurt. Deeply.

But she reminded me, “Can’t say that everyone is created in the image of God if I’m not willing to look for the image of God in everyone.”

Still, one of the most poignant moments in her journey came not in combat boots but in heels.

At an annual St. Barbara’s Day military banquet, with grog flowing and medals gleaming, she spotted Kansas State Representative Pat Proctor, the man who had recently voted to override the governor’s veto of the so-called Women’s Bill of Rights, a piece of legislation that stripped trans people of legal protections.

But Caroline gave him her hand instead of giving him the cold shoulder.

“We’re Iraq veterans,” she noted. Realizing she had an opportunity to show him someone beyond the tropes, she wanted to show him a trans veteran who served with distinction. She walked up confidently and shook his hand. “I just did my best to actually speak…I knew I had a very limited time to actually say something that meant anything.” Caroline didn’t know until later, but her wife snapped a photo of that moment.

For someone who has stood at pulpits and podiums, heard the worst from chaplains, and preached the best from God, it was a moment of radical grace.

I asked Caroline what message she wanted to share on today’s Trans Day of Visibility. Her response is soulful and inspiring. “It’s not a closet–it’s a chrysalis,” she says without missing a beat. “They try to make it a closet, but no. We grow, we change, we become new beings. And once we break free, there’s no putting us back.”

These days, Rev. Morrison is a hospice chaplain, preacher, and theologian who professes a more liberating vision of a God who holds multitudes—genders and transitions. She is also finishing a book on transgender liberation theology. And she’s still showing up for every trans person who hasn’t yet stepped out of their chrysalis.

Because Caroline Morrison isn’t just visible; she’s radiant. And we should follow suit. The bravest thing we can do is show up in our complicated, mascara-wearing truth.

And let the world see us shimmer.

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