Transgender Unity Rally at the Michigan Capitol. Jan. 30, 2025. Photo by Jon King.
Targeted by President Donald Trump from his first day in office, trans individuals, allies and their loved ones gathered in front of the Michigan Capitol Thursday for a Trans Unity rally to express their anger and fear, but mostly their solidarity.
One of Trump’s executive orders is viewed as a direct attack on the existence of trans and nonbinary people by asserting that males and females “are not changeable” a viewpoint, while contrary to scientific evidence, he asserted was “grounded in fundamental and incontrovertible reality.”
Danny Jones, who is nonbinary said they had a trans woman partner and a trans child, expressed frustration at why there was so much hatred toward people just trying to be themselves.
“Honestly, it’s been a source of great joy and peace and comfort for me, and I don’t understand why anybody would have a problem with that,” said Jones. “It’s making me happy. It’s making me feel like I want to get up in the morning and I want to be alive. And I want to have more days with my loved ones and I want them to be able to be themselves and I want them to be free.”
Jones said that after the election, they felt a “door of bitterness” open up, but decided against walking through it.
“It would have been so easy to walk through that door and to become bitter and to become cynical, and I don’t want to go through that door. I don’t want to become that person. What I want to say to all of you wonderful people gathering here and the organizers as well, is that hope is a choice. It’s something we can feed. It’s something we can put those logs on the fire and keep that alive. And we can do that for each other.”
The rally took place just two days after Trump signed an executive order to cut federal support for gender affirming care for people under 19.
One of those speaking knew better than most that the fight for trans rights has been a long one. Grace Bacon, 84, known to many as the mother of the Michigan transgender community, founded Crossroads in 1977, the first support group for Michigan’s transgender community.
“We’re being picked on, and we’ve been picked on, and it’s not gonna let up. Trump’s emboldened a lot of hatred toward all of us. And we’re all targets,” said Bacon. “I’m a target. I’m transgender. I’m elderly. I’m a veteran. I’m disabled. They’re gonna really try to hurt me, but for the rest of you, you’re gonna come out of this eventually, and I hope we all do, and I hope we all build up our own strength inside so that we come out of this stronger than we went into it. We’re here to stay. We’re here; we’re queer; we’re gonna stay here.”
The rally was organized by the Transgender Unity Coalition. It was one of nine held across the country on Thursday, at state capitals in California, Colorado, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Ohio, Texas, Utah, and Wisconsin, with the goal “to unite the transgender community, assert our collective presence, and demand justice, equity, and change from our elected officials.”
Among the elected officials present at Michigan’s rally were state Reps. Julie Brixie (D-Meridian Twp.), Laurie Pohutsky (D-Livonia) and Emily Dievendorf (D-Lansing).
“One of my proudest moments was being able to vote yes to amend the Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act to protect LGBT+ members of our state,” said Brixie. “We see you. We love you. We are protecting you.
“… So I am just here to say, do not give up. Engage, participate, join us, help us. You matter. We want to continue to see you. We want to continue to protect you and we need your help and we need your family’s help,” said Brixie.
Brixie noted that one of her Republican colleagues was passing out a resolution on Thursday in the state House opposing same-sex marriage, when someone from the crowd shouted, “Tell Josh reconsider!” — referencing state Rep. Josh Schriver (R-Oxford).
“You knew who it was,” Brixie responded.
Schriver posted to social media in December his desire to make “gay marriage illegal again,” which he said was “not remotely controversial, nor extreme.”
A request for comment was sent to Schriver by the Michigan Advance, but has yet to be returned.
Mallory Fournier with the Transgender Unity Coalition told the Advance that regardless of the current political climate, being able to gather as a community in the same space and share in their joy, as well as fears, was a major comfort.
“I know when I’m around people that are like me, I feel comfortable, safe and happy, and I think I think everyone just coming together and seeing each other and seeing that we’re not alone is sparking that joy. That’s so important, especially in our day and age,” said Fournier. “I hope that people know that there is a community. We’re here, we’re organizing, we’re doing our best to try to combat any kind of legislation that’s trying to erase us. Because we’re here. We’re still going to be here. We exist. We’ll still exist and together we can have community and make it through this.”
YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE.