Trans Youth Across America Will March For Autonomy on Friday

On Friday, Queer Youth Assemble will gather marches in all 50 states to demand autonomy. The main march will be held in Washington DC, where organizers will read a list of demands, gathered via "listening sessions, social media interactions and in-person conversations."

Per an official description on the march's website: "We are asking organizations, students, and individuals from across the country to sign on to our list of demands to show their support for queer & trans youth autonomy."

The organizer of the march, Queer Youth Assemble, is a queer youth-led group that says it is fighting for a world "where all queer youth are given safety, autonomy, joy and the ability to reach their fullest potentials." The group's website has an interactive map where one can submit and find marches in their area.

The list of demands includes a call to "codify Title IX to include sexuality, gender identity, and gender expression," which has become a rallying cry for trans organizers in recent years. It also demands a "Safe Schools Program for LGBTQ+ Students," which will require "all states to form a state-wide Commission on LGBTQ+ Youth that will assist with policy, professional development and queer and trans youth empowerment." The group also wants school bans on trans and LGBTQ+ materials more broadly to be abolished, as well as a nationwide ban on conversion therapy.

The full list, which is incredibly comprehensive, can be seen and signed through the website linked above.

Related | We Must 'Show Up In Force' Against Anti-Trans Legislation

For those who might not be able to march, the group says it encourages youth who cannot attend one of the group's marches to "start a walkout or other initiative at their school instead." This includes "a rally, spirit day or other day of action."

The march comes the same week as a horrifying mass shooting at The Covenant School in Nashville, where six were murdered down by a shooter the police identified as transgender. This led to an explosion of transphobic propaganda by right-wing media pundits and social media users, who spread hoaxes and misinformation about the shooter's intentions, including claims the murder was in part caused by gender-affirming treatments.

Last week, the Orlando Sentinelalso reported that Florida governor Ron DeSantis wants to dramatically increase the scope of the controversial "Don't Say Gay" bill to include all grades K-12, a move supported by his appointed officials in the state government.

Photo via Getty/ Beata Zawrzel/ NurPhoto