In a historic first, approximately 1,000 transgender people logged into Zoom Tuesday night in a show of support for Vice President Kamala Harris’ bid for the presidency.
The call came on the heels of a new survey from Advocates for Trans Equality, the nation’s largest trans rights org, showing that 75 percent of transgender respondents who were eligible to vote reported doing so in the last presidential election.
The event marks the first time that transgender leaders have mobilized for a presidential candidate. The meeting hosted transgender leaders including Delaware state Sen. Sarah McBride and activist Charlotte Clymer.
While 1,000 people joined the initial call Tuesday, an additional 2,600 have since screened the fundraiser, organizers told The 19th. As of Wednesday morning, organizers were still waiting to confirm totals on how much money they had raised.
The event signals a substantial nod of confidence in Harris from a critical part of the LGBTQ+ community that has historically eyed her with hesitancy. Four years ago, her selection as President Joe Biden’s running mate raised eyebrows among more progressive queer voters who worried that her past as a prosecutor, including overseeing an office that denied gender-affirming health care to a trans detainee, forecasted a lack of support for trans rights.
But her time with the Biden administration, as well as the GOP’s increasingly hostile stance against transgender people, have warmed the community to Harris. Her pick of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz has been hailed as a deeply pro-LGBTQ+ move, in part because he made Minnesota a “refuge” for trans people.
Posted by John3262005