Facebook Instagram Twitter YouTube

“We Need to Make a Change”: Trans Youth Speak Out and Walk Out

The following is a speech by a student activist from NYC for Trans Rights.

Alex Carroll

March 10, 2023
Facebook Twitter Share

On Thursday, March 9, dozens of trans youth walked out of their high schools in New York City to demand an end to anti-trans laws and to say that trans lives matter. They marched through the streets of New York City chanting “Trans lives matter,” “Queers don’t deny, Stonewall was a riot,” and more. The action ended with a speak-out by over a dozen youth who talked about the need to struggle for trans rights and to fight anti-trans rhetoric and legislation. The action was organized by NYC Youth for Trans Rights. Nurses from NYSNA attended, standing in solidarity with trans youth, as well as teachers from the MORE caucus in New York City.

Left Voice is publishing speeches by student activists about the fight for trans rights. If you are a trans youth who would like to publish a speech or an article, please contact us on Instagram or Facebook, or by emailing [email protected]

I wanna thank everyone for coming here today, for calling out of school, for walking out, for not going to work. Thank you for coming here to support this. Thank you to Raven and Celio for supporting and helping me with this whole event, and thank you to all of the volunteers. I couldn’t have done any of this without you; without you, this event probably wouldn’t have happened. Thank you to Left Voice for supporting us and helping us find organizations and being so kind. And thank you to the nurses union for supporting us as well.

I come here today to tell you that we love you — we care about you, and we want you to be OK. No matter your gender identity, no matter your pronouns, you deserve the same opportunities as everyone else. You deserve to feel just as loved and cared for as cis people. And I’m sorry if people don’t respect you, if they don’t respect your identity. You’re too good for them to treat you like that.

I come here today to tell you that the anti-trans bills that are being put out are not OK. I come here to tell you that the suicide rates for trans people being 32 percent to 50 percent is not OK. I come here as a big FUCK YOU to all the states that keep putting out bills to oppress us, as a big fuck you to all of the politicians who continue to attack our trans youth and make it harder for them to get the gender-affirming care they need to live happily. I come here to say fuck you to the police for not protecting us.

I’m sick and tired of living in a world where we trans people are seen as less than human. We need to make a change, and we need to make it soon. If we don’t, I’m positive this is going to continue to happen.

Trans people are normal.

Facebook Twitter Share

Gender & Sexuality

Berlin Police Attack an Anti-Imperialist Feminist Demonstration on March 8

On International Women's Day, there were numerous demonstrations in Berlin, including: a union demonstration, an anti-imperialist demonstration, and a supposedly "leftist" demonstration in solidarity with Israel. As you would expect, police only attacked one of the three.

Nathaniel Flakin

March 14, 2024
Mobilization for trans rights at Brooklyn, June 2020.

The Working Class Must Fight for Trans Rights

As new anti-trans bills are introduced in the United States, it is imperative to take up the fight for trans rights using working-class strategy and methods.

K.S. Mehta

March 11, 2024

Rise in Forced Pregnancies Shows the Need for an Independent Movement for Abortion Rights

Post-Dobbs, research shows that many people in states where abortions are banned have been unable to get them. We need a movement to fight for free, safe, legal abortion on demand.

Molly Rosenzweig

December 19, 2023

Women’s Liberation in Revolutionary Russia

The historian Wendy Z. Goldman gave this talk in Madrid and Barcelona on September 12 and 15, presenting her book Women, the State, and Revolution.

Wendy Z. Goldman

October 1, 2023

MOST RECENT

A square in Argentina is full of protesters holding red banners

48 Years After the Military Coup, Tens of Thousands in Argentina Take to the Streets Against Denialism and the Far Right

Tens of thousands of people took to the streets across Argentina on March 24 to demand justice for the victims of the state and the military dictatorship of 1976. This year, the annual march had renewed significance, defying the far-right government’s denialism and attacks against the working class and poor.

Madeleine Freeman

March 25, 2024

The Convulsive Interregnum of the International Situation

The capitalist world is in a "permacrisis" — a prolonged period of instability which may lead to catastrophic events. The ongoing struggles for hegemony could lead to open military conflicts.

Claudia Cinatti

March 22, 2024

Berlin’s Mayor Loves Antisemites

Kai Wegner denounces the “antisemitism” of left-wing Jews — while he embraces the most high-profile antisemitic conspiracy theorist in the world.

Nathaniel Flakin

March 22, 2024

What “The Daily” Gets Right and Wrong about Oregon’s Move to Recriminalize Drugs

A doctor at an overdose-prevention center responds to The Daily, a podcast produced by the New York Times, on the recriminalization of drugs in Oregon. What are the true causes of the addiction crisis, and how can we solve it?

Mike Pappas

March 22, 2024