Over the weekend, thousands of protesters filled Union Square in Manhattan for The Rise Up For Trans Youth rally in response to recent executive orders under President Trump.
In a matter of weeks, his administration has rolled back rights for trans people in the United States, from taking them off the LGBTQ+ acronym on federal websites to banning trans athletes from women’s sports and attempting to restrict gender-affirming care for citizens under 19 years old.
The rally was organized by Gender Liberation Movement (GLM), Trans Formative Schools and ACT UP NY, as speakers led the crowd through various chants, speeches and songs. Families, parents and young kids, in particular, were present on Saturday afternoon, holding handmade signs reading, “Protect Our Trans Kids’ Lives” and “Let All Kids Be Themselves.”
After the event, PAPER talked to Eliel Cruz (Co-Founder of Gender Liberation Movement), Alaina Daniels (Executive Director of Trans Formative Schools) and Lucille (Lead Organizer of Trans Formative Schools).
Attending a march is one part of enacting change. What are the important next steps, especially for those who were unable to physically attend on Saturday?
Eliel: Rallies are the starting point, not the end. Plugging into long-term organizing work is how we win and fight back. We created a link for a centralized location of our calls to actions, including emailing the hospitals who have preemptively complied with these unlawful executive orders, ways to show up in NYC with the organizations part of the rally and links to fund our work.
Alaina: The next important step is to turn this into an organized movement with thoughtful strategy and specific goals to make material change for trans youth and their families, as well as the brave educators and healthcare providers continuing care under threat. Trans kids need long term, caring relationships with trans adults, especially teachers and care givers.
In order to make these changes, we need people to join and support trans-led organizations actively doing the work. We need brave parents to run for school boards, attend meetings and shift culture. We need to build thoughtful relationships with local elected leaders so they move money away from police and prisons, and into care and communities, making NYC public schools and healthcare institutions true sanctuaries where trans, BIPOC, disabled, immigrant kids and families thrive.
Why is it important to physically gather in this way, especially in 2025 and in the age of technology?
Eliel: Rallies remind people they're not alone, and show decision makers that people are paying attention and care enough to show up. Building mass movements is how we counter and respond to the bad decisions by electeds or institutions.
Alaina: We need to gather together in joy, in rage and solidarity to build trans power. We need to go to battle for our kids while singing.
Lucille: I want to bring music, dancing and joy to our movement because it’s the way we practice raising up our voices in unison — not just as a rally cry, but with their full selves in community. Songs disarm and change the narrative. We’re not weak individuals who are just angry, we’re extending love and sustainability to our neighbors and to the ones who would rather erase us.
We need to gather together in joy, in rage and solidarity to build trans power.
Photography: Madison Swart
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