As the federal government moves to strip transgender rights, the California Civil Rights Department’s first-ever California Civil Rights Summit had a different message.
During a fireside chat at the May 11 event titled “From Hate to Healing,” Bambi Salcedo — president and chief executive officer of the TransLatin@ Coalition — reminded the audience that the first executive order signed by President Trump in his second term stated that the federal government would only recognize two sexes.
California Commissioner on the State of Hate Russell Roybal echoed those concerns at the event — held by the commission, CA vs Hate and Stop the Hate at San Francisco’s Commonwealth Club — saying that “gender is under attack, there are anti-gender forces, and that’s not just about trans and gender expansive and non-binary folks. It is about gender at large,” adding that “it is unfortunate that a lot of this is coming from our own government.”
Among the many challenges facing the trans community is the immigration crackdown, said Salcedo, explaining that many people do not fully understand the specific difficulties trans women face in the immigration system.