>>> LGBTQ CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVISTS ARE PROMISING TO PUT UP A FIGHT
AFTER THAT "NEW YORK TIMES"
REPORT WE TOLD YOU ABOUT
YESTERDAY THAT SAID THE TRUMP
ADMINISTRATION IS CONSIDERING A
MOVE THAT WOULD IN EFFECT ROLL
BACK PROTECTIONS FOR TRANSGENDER
PEOPLE AND WOULD NARROWLY DEFINE
GENDER AS MALE OR FEMALE BASED
ON GENITALIA AT BIRTH.
ONE ACTRESS AND ACTIVIST,
LAVERNE COX, IS TAKING THAT
FIGHT TO TWITTER, PUSHING HER
FOLLOWERS TO SHOW UP NEXT MONTH
AND VOTE.
AND VOTE. THE "ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK"
STAR ALSO WRITING, QUOTE, IN THE
FACE OF THIS AFFRONT ON MY
EXISTENCE AND THE EXISTENCE OF
MY COMMUNITY, I CHOOSE LOVE, NOT
FEAR.
FEAR. WE EXIST AND ALWAYS HAVE.
LAVERNE COX JOINS ME NOW.
THANK YOU FOR COMING ON THE
SHOW.
SHOW. >> GOOD MORNING, HALLIE, THANK
YOU FOR HAVING ME.
>> I HAD A CHANCE TO ASK THE
PRESIDENT ABOUT THIS AS HE LEFT
THE WHITE HOUSE FOR HOUSTON
YESTERDAY.
YESTERDAY. HERE’S THAT INTERACTION.
>> MR. PRESIDENT, WHAT ABOUT
YOUR PROMISE TO HAPPENING WITH R
TRANSGENDER RIGHT NOW.
YOU KNOW THAT AS WELL AS I DO.
AND WE’RE LOOKING AT IT VERY
SERIOUSLY.
SERIOUSLY. >> WHAT ABOUT YOUR PROMISE TO
PROTECT THE LGBT COMMUNITY?
>> I’M PROTECTING EVERYBODY.
I WANT TO PROTECT OUR COUNTRY.
>> DO YOU BELIEVE IN ANY WAY THE
PRESIDENT IS TRYING TO PROTECT
TRANSGENDER AMERICANS?
TRANSGENDER AMERICANS? >> I’VE LEARNED HALLIE NOT TO
REALLY LISTEN TO ANYTHING THAT
OUR PRESIDENT SAYS, BUT I PREFER
TO LOOK AT WHAT THE
ADMINISTRATION IS DOING, AND
FROM DAY ONE THE ADMINISTRATION
HAS ATTACKED TRANS PEOPLE.
THEY’VE ROLLED BACK PROTECTION
FROM TRANS CHILDREN IN SCHOOLS.
THE PRESIDENT HAS ATTEMPTED TO
BAN TRANSGENDER PEOPLE FROM THE
MILITARY.
MILITARY. AND THIS LATEST MEMO IS AN
EXAMPLE OF WHAT THE
ADMINISTRATION IS DOING, SO I
THINK IT’S IMPORTANT TO LACK AT-
AT WHAT THE ADMINISTRATION IS
DOING AND NOT WHAT THEY’RE
SAYING.
SAYING. I ALSO WANT TO SAY IT’S BEEN A
REALLY DIFFICULT PAST FEW DAYS
FOR TRANSGENDER PEOPLE ALL OVER
THIS COUNTRY AND THE PEOPLE WHO
LOVE US.
LOVE US. I THINK IT’S IMPORTANT TO HOLD
EACH OTHER CLOSE AND TIGHT AND
REALLY EMBRACE LOVE AND NOT
FEAR.
FEAR. THEY WANT TO MAKE US AFRAID, BUT
WE NEED NOT BE AFRAID.
THIS POLICY HAS NOT BEEN
IMPLEMENTED YET.
IMPLEMENTED YET. WE CAN FIGHT IT.
WE CAN FIGHT.
>> SO ON THAT, IT’S INTERESTING
YOU BRING UP THE CONCEPT OF FEAR
HERE.
HERE. "THE WASHINGTON POST" HAD A
PIECE OUT FROM SOMEBODY BELIEVED
TO BE THE ONLY OPENLY ELECTED
TRANSGENDER REPUBLICAN,
TRANSGENDER REPUBLICAN, 27-YEAR-OLD JORDAN EVANS WHO
TELLS THE POST SHE’S AFRAID FOR
PEOPLE WHO ARE YOUNGER THAN ME,
PEOPLE WHO DON’T HAVE THE KIND
OF EXPERIENCES IN THE WORLD THAT
I’VE HAD.
I’VE HAD. THEY SEE THIS AND THEY’RE
RIGHTFULLY TERRIFIED.
RIGHTFULLY TERRIFIED. TALK ABOUT WHAT SPECIFICALLY IS
AT STAKE HERE FOR THE
TRANSGENDER COMMUNITY?
TRANSGENDER COMMUNITY? >> WELL, IN THE EFFORT TO
REDEFINE GENDER IN A BINARY WAY
IN A CODIFIED WAY, IT’S ABOUT
LEGISLATING TRANSGENDER PEOPLE
OUT OF EXISTENCE.
I THINK IT’S IMPORTANT FOR
PEOPLE TO KNOW THIS IS NOT
ANYTHING NEW.
ANYTHING NEW. OVER THE PAST THREE YEARS IN
STATE LEGISLATURES ALL OVER THE
COUNTRY, OVER 100 PIECES OF
LEGISLATION HAVE BEEN INTRODUCED
BASICALLY TRYING TO
EXCOMMUNICATE TRANSGENDER PEOPLE
FROM PUBLIC LIFE.
WE HAVE FOUGHT THOSE BATTLES AND
WE HAVE WON.
EARLIER THIS YEAR IN ANCHORAGE,
ALASKA THE CITIZENS SAID WE DO
NOT SUPPORT DISCRIMINATING
AGAINST TRANSGENDER PEOPLE AND
NEXT MONTH IN MASSACHUSETTS THE
CITIZENS HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO
DO THE SAME THING BY VOTING YES
ON 3.
ON 3. EVERYBODY WHO KNOWS SOMEBODY IN
MASSACHUSETTS CAN SAY CALL YOUR
FRIENDS AND SAY VOTE YES ON 3 TO
SEND A MESSAGE TO THIS
ADMINISTRATION AND SEND A
MESSAGE TO YOUR FELLOW AMERICANS
THAT THIS KIND OF DISCRIMINATION
IS NOT WHO WE ARE AND IT WILL
NOT STAND.
NOT STAND. >> SO HERE WE ARE TWO WEEKS OUT
FROM THE MIDTERMS.
YOU ARE SAYING, HEY, GET OUT
THERE AND FIGHT.
YOU MAKE THE POINT, AND WE CAN
PULL IT UP HERE OF WHAT THIS
ADMINISTRATION HAS DONE WHEN IT
COMES TO ROLLING BACK
TRANSGENDER PROTECTION.
TRANSGENDER PROTECTION. SO FOR EXAMPLE, SIGNING A
DIRECTIVE BANNING TRANSGENDER
MILITARY RECRUITS.
MILITARY RECRUITS. ATTORNEY GENERAL DECIDING A
CIVIL RIGHTS LAW DOES NOT
PROTECT TRANSGENDER WORKERS FROM
ESSENTIALLY EMPLOYMENT
ESSENTIALLY EMPLOYMENT DISCRIMINATION, RESCINDING
DISCRIMINATION, RESCINDING PROTECTIONS FOR TRANSGENDER
STUDENTS THAT ALLOW THEM TO USE
BATHROOMS THAT MATCH THEIR
IDENTITY.
IDENTITY. OVER THE NEXT TWO AND A HALF
YEARS, TALK ABOUT HOW YOU’RE
GOING TO USE YOUR PLATFORM.
YOU’RE ONE OF THE MOST VISIBLE
TRANSGENDER AMERICANS IN THIS
COUNTRY.
COUNTRY. HOW DO YOU HELP MOTIVATE PEOPLE
TO MAKE CHANGE IN THE WAY YOU’RE
DESCRIBING?
DESCRIBING? >> I THINK PEOPLE NEED TO BE
AWARE OF WHAT’S GOING ON, FIRST
OF ALL.
OF ALL. I WAS ONLY MADE AWARE OF THE YES
ON 3 INITIATIVE IN MASSACHUSETTS
LAST WEEK.
LAST WEEK. SO I’M HEADING TO MASSACHUSETTS
TOMORROW TO GET THE WORD OUT
THAT FOLKS NEED TO VOTE YES ON 3
IN MASSACHUSETTS, AND WE NEED TO
BE AWARE THAT IN STATE
LEGISLATURES ALL OVER THE
COUNTRY, FOLKS ARE TRYING TO
INTRODUCE LEGISLATION BANNING
TRANSGENDER PEOPLE FROM PUBLIC
LIFE.
LIFE. WE CAN CHANGE OUR POLICIES IN
OUR SCHOOLS AND OUR LOCAL
MUNICIPALITIES AND SUPPORT
TRANSGENDER PEOPLE AND SEND A
MESSAGE TO OUR ADMINISTRATION,
TO OUR ELECTED OFFICIALS THAT
THIS IS NOT WHO WE ARE.
>> YOU SEEM OPTIMISTIC.
IS THAT A FAIR ASSESSMENT?
>> I AM OPTIMISTIC BECAUSE OVER
AND OVER AGAIN THE COURTS HAVE
HELD THAT TRANSGENDER PEOPLE ARE
COVERED BY TITLE 9 AND TITLE 7.
EARLIER THIS YEAR THE AMY
STEVENS CASE UPHELD THAT
TRANS -- IN THE I THINK IT WAS
THE 6th CIRCUIT THAT TRANSGENDER
ARE COVERED BY TITLE 7.
ASH WHITTAKERS CASE HELD THAT
TRANSGENDER PEOPLE ARE COVERED
BY TITLE 9.
WE’VE WON IN THE COURTS
REPEATEDLY AND THE CITIZENS OF
ANCHORAGE WHEN THEY LISTENED TO
THE EXPERIENCES OF TRANS PEOPLE,
WE DO NOT WANT TO -- ULTIMATELY
WE JUST WANT TO GO TO WORK.
WE WANT TO GO TO SCHOOL SAFELY.
WE WANT TO LIVE THE AMERICAN
DREAM.
DREAM. EVERYONE SHOULD HAVE THE RIGHT
TO DO THAT, AND THAT’S WHAT I
BELIEVE IN.
BELIEVE IN. I’M A PROUD AMERICAN, AND I
BELIEVE IN THE POSSIBILITIES OF
THIS COUNTRY.
THIS COUNTRY. MY LIFE WOULD NOT BE POSSIBLE IF
IT WERE NOT FOR AMERICA, SO
THAT’S WHY I’M HOPEFUL.
I THINK IF WE ALL COME TOGETHER
AND SUPPORT TRANSGENDER FOLKS