Latest news with #TransMarch
San Francisco Chronicle
05-07-2025
- Entertainment
- San Francisco Chronicle
‘We've always known how to turn to joy': Photos from S.F. Pride
In photographing last weekend's Pride events, I wanted to look beyond the parade and corporate celebrations, to capture the intimate and joyful moments of our queer community. I walked all over the city, from the Trans and Dyke marches to the Pride run in Golden Gate Park, to the cafés in the Castro. I met longtime queer rights activists who have lived in San Francisco for decades, and others who came recently seeking belonging. And at a time when queer and trans rights in particular are under attack, I was reminded that our fight is far from over. I asked people how they were feeling going into this year's Pride, and what I heard most was a desire to celebrate and come together. And it was absolutely a celebration. Every corner of the city was filled with friends and lovers. From Ocean Beach to Dolores Park, the queer joy radiating from San Francisco felt like a protest in itself, a bold, beautiful act of resistance. Pride may last a month, but we will continue using joy as our strongest form of protest year-round. 'This Pride means celebrating together, being joyful together, and most importantly feeling safe together. They love that we can all spend Pride with one another whether we are friends, partners, or strangers. We are all part of the same community.' — Aurora Luque 'We need to fight for what is right. Especially trans and women's rights getting hit on and also our democracy is getting taken away from us and our freedoms are getting taken away from us. I'm here to support the gay community and my trans brothers and sisters. We're all a family in the gay community. We all have to stick together and fight together.' — Jim Martinez 'There's a lot going on, so I'm really leaning into being fun and having fun. And also like, bad things happen to people and you can choose how you react to it. That's really all we have the power to do and to sort of pushed back against f—ed up things without letting it turn us f—ed up. And I think that's the test right now. Either we lose our humanity in this moment or we double down and lean into our joy.' — Star Amerasu 'Cause I came out as trans as a kid, you know you're being raised with a lot of messaging and imagery that you're not protected by certain parties and so you have to find hope from community and hope from within. We've always known how to turn to joy as a community and we will continue to do so.' — Eden Chaloemtiarana 'The Trans March is always like a really beautiful space and feels really powerful and really good to be around other trans people. I will say, though, there's definitely, like a heaviness and then especially, like seeing all the vans filled with cops. It was pretty triggering and, like. usually there's not that much of a cop's like, presence at the Trans March. So with all the ICE raids and everything like that, it definitely feels like. you know, targeted. And they pick June to do all this stuff too, in particular. And we're supposed to be a sanctuary city, you know. It's rough.' — Camilo 'I mean, me going into the weekend, I just want to have fun. I just want to party, you know. It's Pride weekend and yeah. And I haven't been out for like Pride in a couple years now. So I just kind of want to do something different this year. I don't really go out anymore, so I want to really go out for the summer.' — Kevin Jones 'Given the current state of our political system, I think, like when I attended like No Kings (protest), it's just a lot, it's just like motivating. Like it's so easy to like look at all the news that happens literally every single day and it's like, this is f—ing sucks. And then you come out to Pride and you come out to like a big protest or something and it just re-motivates you to keep going.' — Richie Machado
Toronto Star
29-06-2025
- Politics
- Toronto Star
In photos: Thousands take to the streets at annual Trans March to kick off Toronto's Pride weekend
Thousands of people take to the streets to stand up for Trans rights during the annual Trans March. Nick Lachance/ Toronto Star
San Francisco Chronicle
29-06-2025
- Politics
- San Francisco Chronicle
Video appears to show Mayor Lurie booed out of Trans March
As thousands of transgender people and their allies marched through San Francisco in protest of President Donald Trump's attacks on transgender rights, one local politician became the target of some hostility: Mayor Daniel Lurie. A video posted to X Friday evening appeared to show the mayor confronted by a handful of attendees at Dolores Park, with one declaring that Lurie was 'not wanted here.' Lurie and his attendants then exit the park, the video shows, followed by a few people chanting, 'How dare you come here!' At least one other person can be heard booing Lurie, who meets and hugs Supervisor Rafael Mandelman. The video does not make it clear what prompted the encounter, though San Francisco resident Dimitry Yakoushkin, who posted the video, previously criticized Lurie and the Board of Supervisors for not including the transgender flag in the city's Pride flag raising ceremony this month. Lurie, a moderate Democrat, has generally steered clear of directly criticizing Trump, instead insisting on his own support for LGBTQ+ communities and other vulnerable groups. His reticence has frustrated some progressives who want him to be more explicit in his criticism. Trans March attendees have a history of rejecting politicians they feel are using the event for political purposes. In 2016, then-Supervisor Scott Wiener, who is gay, and Mayor Ed Lee were booed out of the march when they attempted to speak from a stage.
San Francisco Chronicle
28-06-2025
- Politics
- San Francisco Chronicle
S.F. Trans March: Thousands kick off Pride Weekend with defiant display of ‘queer joy'
Thousands of transgender people and their allies marched defiantly through San Francisco's streets Friday evening in an annual gathering with more urgency than ever in its 21-year history. The mood at the Trans March was mostly celebratory, though with transgender rights under attack nationally, the feeling of protest was undeniable. The event consisted mostly of people in their 20s and 30s, though it also attracted children and older adults. 'This is my favorite part of Pride Weekend every year because it feels the most like a protest and the most community-building, and I think that makes it really special,' said marcher Jeremy Gottlieb. Trans March participants had plenty to protest this year, with President Donald Trump attempting to erase their existence. Upon taking office in January, the president declared that the nation will recognize only two genders, based on biology. This week, he ordered California to ban trans athletes in public schools and strip them of their awards. Legislation nationwide has sought to limit transgender visibility, legal protections and health care access. 'Our existence should not be political,' said Lucas S., another marcher. 'If you look back as far as human history dates, trans and nonbinary people have been recorded in history, so no amount of legislation or close-mindedness is going to change the fact that we were born this way and we will continue to exist and support each other as a community. That's why we're all here — to support each other.' After a day of activities and live performances in Dolores Park, a crowd that organizers estimated at more than 10,000 headed down Market Street to the Transgender District at Turk and Taylor streets in the Tenderloin. That was the site of the 1966 Compton's Cafeteria riot, in which drag queens and trans women fought back after years of police harassment. The Trans March has grown considerably since its start in 2004 with a few hundred people who answered the call of an anonymous email circulated among activists advocating increased visibility and acceptance. 'I think it's especially important for people to show up for in person events and reach out to each other,' said Jean Vila, a postdoctoral biology scholar at UC Berkeley. 'The more we show up as a community and support each other the more we can provide resources and the more we can help resist what's happening nationwide.' The Trans March kicked off a weekend of LGBTQ Pride events, culminating with Saturday's afternoon of entertainment at Civic Center and Sunday's SF Pride Parade up Market Street from the Embarcadero to Civic Center starting at 10:30 a.m. James Irving, a trans Oakland resident, pumped their right fist in the air in somewhat of a power pose as a marching band played and a large crowd cheered from the sidelines. 'I have a feeling that most of the people here either identify as trans or fluid in some way, and same with their sexuality,' said Irving, who wore neon green 'They' and 'Them' earrings. 'These people are being so true to themselves, and they're among people that are also being true to themselves.' Some marchers carried signs, with slogans including 'God is trans,' 'Keep your fauxking hands off of my beautiful trans wife,' and 'Loving a trans person is the easiest thing I've ever done in my entire life.' Costumes included a brick, a butterfly and a lobster. Ryan Melton, who grew up in San Francisco and now lives in Emeryville, was impressed by the turnout of the Trans March, her first. 'I'm absolutely blown away,' she said. 'The amount of people has completely stunned me.' Matthew Ploscik of Oakland, attending his second Trans March, teared up as he described the tolerance of San Francisco, where 'people come from around the world, just to be able to be themselves.' 'There's a marching band, like, all playing for us,' he said. 'It's an all-queer marching band. You don't understand how big of a deal it is. Just to be.' James, who declined to give their last name, said: 'In the trans community, there's a saying: Mourn the dead, and fight like hell for the living. Fight like hell for the living means we keep living, we keep showing up every day in our lives with the people we love.' As the marchers passed by on Dolores Street, Ben Peterson pulled up a chair and nursed a glass of white wine, inviting his neighbors to join him. Peterson said he didn't realize it was the Trans March at first because the emphasis seemed primarily political. Jessica Bryan, a 44-year-old trans woman from Oakland, described the gathering as 'queer joy.' 'It's a bunch of people who the government is trying to make illegal coming together and telling the government to go f— themselves,' she said. 'I love coming here every year because it's so many trans and queer people in one place.'
CBS News
28-06-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Thousands join 22nd annual Trans March in San Francisco
The 22nd annual Trans March took place in San Francisco on Friday night. It's one of the largest events of its kind in the world. Organizers say it was more important than ever to come together this year and support each other. Roughly 20,000 people marched from Dolores Park to the Tenderloin, as one trans community supporting each other. The Reyes-Hodges family marched for the first time, with their daughter recently coming out as trans. "Coming out myself when I was young, that was hard," said Nancy Hodges. "I can't imagine how hard that was for my parents. Then when she came out, it was like crap." "As a mother, just thinking about the obstacles she will face," said Zulma Reyes. "Not about the physical or anything about the transition itself, because I will support her no matter what. But what are the obstacles and challenges? Life is already hard enough." Pothi Reyes Hodges says she was nervous and cried as she told her parents about her transition but at this march feels lucky to be supported by the community and by her parents. "I'd rather they be here with than not," Hodges said. "It means a lot that they both came out here." "We love her, so that is what it is," said Hodges. "I'd much rather have her here with me and with us than not at all because they don't feel accepted." Organizers of the Trans March say this year's event is an act of resistance. To be trans is to transcend the idea of every binary that exists," organizer Eli Berry said. "Nothing is about either or." Berry said that with a wave of anti-trans legislation introduced this year, it was especially important for the trans community to speak out. "There's an argument of whether trans should be in LGBT," Berry said. "However, for me, trans people are disproportionately impacted. What that means is there's not even that much of us, but there are more of us that get arrested. More of us that are homeless. More of us that can't get jobs." Many say seeing this turnout gives them hope for the future. That one day trans people will be accepted and understood. "We're all on this earth for so little," said Reyes. "Such a small amount of time. All we want is happiness, love to just live life."
