Betrayal, Visibility, and the Political Weather Vane:
A Warning from the Transgender Community
With Transgender Day of Visibility in the rearview mirror, it’s time to have a serious talk—not about performative rainbow posts or feel-good platitudes—but about the real history that transgender Americans carry with us every day.
It’s time for our cisgender friends, supporters, and especially political allies to understand the long and painful pattern of betrayal that trans people have endured. And no, it hasn’t just come from the far-right or from openly anti-trans voices. Some of the deepest wounds in our history have come from those who claim to stand beside us.
The Foundations of a Movement—and a Divide
Transgender people were not just participants in the uprisings that built the modern LGBTQ+ movement—we were catalysts. Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera, two trans women of color, helped ignite the Stonewall Uprising in 1969, an event widely credited as the spark of the gay liberation movement.
Yet even as the rainbow flag began to wave, trans people were often pushed to the margins. In 1970, Johnson and Rivera co-founded S.T.A.R. (Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries) to support homeless trans youth—because even within queer spaces, those youth were being ignored or excluded. Mainstream LGBTQ+ organizations of the time embraced "respectability politics," often distancing themselves from trans people to appeal to broader, more palatable narratives.
In 1973, Sylvia Rivera was booed off the stage at the Christopher Street Liberation Day Rally (an early version of Pride) simply for demanding basic rights for trans people and the homeless. She didn’t back down. Instead, she called the crowd out for its hypocrisy. That moment, in many ways, defined a rift that we’ve never fully repaired.
Betrayal in Legislation: The Human Rights Campaign and the 2007 Equality Act
Fast forward to 2007, and you find another betrayal—this time, from within the halls of power. A version of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) had a strong chance of passing through Congress. But when push came to shove, trans people were stripped from the bill by Democratic leaders including Rep. Barney Frank. The rationale? Including us would make it harder to pass.
Over 300 LGBTQ+ organizations, including GLAAD, Lambda Legal, and the National Center for Transgender Equality, rejected the watered-down bill, declaring that LGBTQ rights meant all of us—or none of us. But the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) broke ranks and endorsed the non-inclusive version. While HRC has since changed course and now supports full inclusion, the scars from that betrayal remain.
The Equality Act—designed to finally cement protections for LGBTQ Americans—has never passed.
From Culture Wars to Calculated Strategy
Since the landmark Obergefell v. Hodges decision in 2015 legalized marriage equality, the far right has needed a new target. That target became trans people.
Initially, their tactics—“bathroom bills” and fearmongering around trans identity—largely failed to gain traction with the public. But the GOP didn’t stop. They refined the narrative, framing trans rights not as civil rights, but as a threat to children. Fueled by dark money and right-wing think tanks, they began investing heavily in anti-trans messaging.
By the 2024 election cycle, millions of dollars were poured into copy-paste political ads across the country. The talking point? Democrats want to “mutilate children.” It didn’t matter that gender-affirming care for minors is recommended by every major medical organization, including the American Academy of Pediatrics and American Medical Association. The goal wasn’t truth—it was fear.
The GOP won in 2024—retaking the presidency, holding the House, and flipping several key seats. While post-election polling indicates the economy was the top concern for voters, many Democratic strategists began panicking, wrongly interpreting the trans rights issue as the reason for their losses.
The NDAA and the Slippery Slope
In a gut-wrenching moment following the election, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) was passed by Congress with anti-trans riders intact—specifically provisions stripping military families of access to gender-affirming healthcare for trans dependents.
And yes, Democrats helped pass it. Many cited necessity: “We can’t not pass the NDAA.” But let’s be clear: Trans kids were sacrificed for a defense bill. That was the first concrete evidence that the GOP's hate campaign had succeeded—not in shifting the hearts of voters, but in intimidating supposedly supportive lawmakers.
Gavin Newsom’s Pivot—and What It Signals
Perhaps the most visible crack in the Democratic façade came from California Governor Gavin Newsom. Once a dependable advocate for LGBTQ+ rights, Newsom launched a podcast following the 2024 election and began hosting guests from across the political spectrum—including Charlie Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA and a frequent promoter of anti-trans rhetoric.
During the interview, when Kirk predictably attacked trans girls in sports, Newsom didn’t push back. He agreed.
Newsom has since doubled down on that position in multiple media appearances. His stance—once unthinkable from a California progressive—has led many in the LGBTQ+ community, myself included, to ask: Is this just political posturing for a presidential run?
Because if so, it’s a miscalculation of epic proportions. You don’t win the trust of Trump voters by throwing trans kids under the bus. And you don’t win over trans people—or our allies—by pretending the erosion of our rights is just political collateral.
This Is Bigger Than Sports
Let me say this as clearly as I can: Trans people are not naive. We know sports are being used as a wedge issue. But it won’t stop there.
History shows us this is only the beginning. Bathroom bills. Sports bans. Now book bans, medical bans, education bans. The goalpost is always moving, and every time we lose ground, the right gets bolder.
When Democrats cede an inch—especially on trans rights—it sends a dangerous signal. It says the hate campaign is working.
What Allies Need to Know—And Do
I was recently asked how Democratic politicians should handle this issue. The answer is: with moral clarity, not cowardice.
Trans people are not one-issue voters. We care about healthcare, housing, wages, education—because we live at the intersections of all these issues. But we also have limits.
Personally, I’m willing to vote for a Democrat who may not be perfect on trans issues if they align with me on broader economic or healthcare goals. What I will not do is campaign for or support any candidate—of any party—who openly attacks my rights, or who caves to pressure and becomes complicit in my oppression.
Allies in the political space: We see what’s happening. We see who stands up, who stays silent, and who sells us out. And we’re not going to forget.
This moment demands courage. Not just in press releases or on Transgender Day of Visibility, but in the voting booth, in legislative chambers, and in public discourse. We don’t need more politicians asking what rights trans people are “willing to give up to win.” We need leaders who will fight like hell to protect them—because justice isn't justice if it excludes us.
About the Author
Arienne Childrey is a Democratic candidate, advocate, and writer focused on building a better Ohio—and a more just future for all Americans. She is the author of The Agenda, a political Substack committed to truth-telling, inclusion, and rural resilience.
Sources:
American Academy of Pediatrics Statement on Gender-Affirming Care: https://publications.aap.org
American Medical Association: Gender-Affirming Care Policy:
Sylvia Rivera’s 1973 Speech at Christopher Street: YouTube archive
HRC's Position on ENDA: https://www.hrc.org/news/hrc-responds-to-criticism-over-enda-stance
S.T.A.R. (Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries): https://www.outhistory.org/exhibits/show/star
National LGBTQ Task Force on 2024 election: