As millions took to the streets for the No Kings protests this weekend, a wealth of concerns were voiced, from Trump’s authoritarian rule, repeated ICE raids, the loss of abortion access and more. Repeatedly, LGBTQ+ rights (and especially trans rights) were a key part of those protests.

While a lot of issues are covered by the No Kings protests, they come at a time when the political pressure on LGBTQ+ people is high. There has been a massive push against trans rights. The Supreme Court earlier this year upheld a gender-affirming care ban for minors. The Trump administration has been pressuring schools and universities to instigate anti-trans bathroom, locker room, and sports ban.

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As they have started to win battles against trans people, a wider attack on the LGBTQ+ community is underway with an attempt to overturn conversion therapy bans currently at the Supreme Court, and a possibility that a challenge to the Obergefell precedent for marriage equality could be heard in the future.

As some push to move away from championing trans rights, suggesting that supporting trans people loses them mainstream appeal, it’s powerful to see wide LGBTQ+ support as a key part of the bigger anti-Trump movement.

In Boston, 79-year-old Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA) took to the stage with a trans flag wrapped around his shoulders and was met with cheers.

“We’re going to get up, we’re going to stand for the right thing, and we are going to win, “Markey said. “Because here in Massachusetts, we stand for what is right. We stand with trans people because trans rights are human rights.”

“This president, he has a darker vision for America,” said Jay Brown, chief of staff for the Human Rights Campaign, at the No Kings rally in D.C. “One where our families are told how to parent their children. Where our doctors are forced to forgo their oaths to do no harm. Where the government is ripping families apart and hurting our people. They’re cutting billions of dollars from HIV prevention and treatment. They’re banning our books. They’re firing teachers who use a teacher’s nickname. And they’re firing gay workers who put a Pride flag on their desk. But we’re all here because we believe in a better America. We believe in a country where kids can get a quality education free from bullying. Where love is love. Where freedom is afforded to all and not reserved for a wealthy few. That is America at its greatest. That is our America.”

Speaking alongside Jay Brown at the D.C. rally was Shawn Skelly, a retired Navy officer, former Assistant Secretary of Defense, and current board member for HRC.

“I’m an out proud trans woman who loves our country,” Skelly said. “I was proud to recently serve alongside thousands of transgender service members who have served with honor, skill, and courage. They have protected us while their own commander in chief and secretary of defense have vilified them and denied their right to exist. Anyone who serves in uniform deserves so much better than what this tainted chain of command have to offer.”

In Chicago, the streets have recently been terrorized by the National Guard and ICE agents as people have been snatched from their homes. Speaking at a No Kings rally, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker understandably focused on those authoritarian tactics and infractions of Fourth Amendment rights. But he also nodded to the struggles of the LGBTQ+ community, “We are here today at this rally because Donald Trump and Stephen Miller are already coming for the immigrants, and for black and brown people, and for LGBTQ people, and for their political opponents.”

Laura Buckwalk, a No Kings protestor, spoke with The Guardian and explained some of her reasons for marching: “Just yesterday, I got a notice from my health insurance company about my premiums going up – they’re almost doubling. They put straight out that they are not going to cover any healthcare that is for transition purposes, so our transgender Americans will not have coverage under the plan that I have. That is totally unacceptable. I teach young people and I’ve encountered trans youth, and they have told me that without this healthcare, it makes some of them want to commit suicide. I think [what Republicans have done has] been despicable.”

Even in deep red states, such as Alabama, smaller groups came out for No Kings protests. The Alabama Reflector reported on the state’s protests and spoke with Jim Baker, the organizer of a 200 person protest in Oxford. “I’m here today to express my displeasure with the current administration. There are many things being done wrong. I couldn’t even name them, it wouldn’t fit on a sign,” Baker said, going on to say that he thought he was the only one in the area that cared about healthcare, LGBTQ+ rights, and the ICE raids, but found others through the protest, such as Glenda Reeseg, who has two gender non-conforming children and is “really bothered by a lot of the talk about trans individuals.”

Assigned Media spoke to protestors across the United States, who echoed feelings of fear and anger over Trump’s anti-LGBTQ+ policies. One father spoke of the pain for his non-binary child losing access to gender-affirming care at Fenway Health, which stopped providing such care to trans youth after Trump’s team threatened their federal funding.

“I’m carrying this [Pride] flag to support my trans kid,” the father said. “This flag represents the diversity that makes this country great.”

Others spoke anonymously and of the fear many had about being open about their LGBTQ+ identities in Trump’s America. “I’ve had so many friends scared to talk about being trans and gay in public because of how dangerous it is now with everything going on. They’re using fear to stop us from speaking out about this. But I’m proudly trans, I have been for years. It’s just not fair that we have to hide who we are.”

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