by Ethan Robertson
On Saturday, February 11 at Oxford City Hall, the Protect Trans Youth Rally was hosted by Ethan Robertson, President of UM College Democrats, with help from by Eli Nordstrom, President of Oxford HS Gay-Straight Alliance.
This peaceful protest was in response to HB1125, otherwise known as the “Regulate Experimental Adolescent Procedures Act,” passing through the Mississippi House of Representatives. This bill would make gender-affirming hormone therapy and puberty blockers inaccessible in Mississippi for any trans person until they turn 18. Just like any other medical treatment, these medications can only be taken with the individual’s consent and the guardian’s approval. We are waiting as this bill enters the Senate, and if passed it will get the Governor’s signature and be put into place immediately. That is why members of the Lafayette, Oxford, and University LGBTQIA+ community and allies met up to urge politicians to stop exploiting this minority group with zero open representation with Mississippi elected officials.
Supported by evidence-based standards and every major medical association, we already know that denying medical care and support to transgender youth contributes to depression, social isolation, self-hatred, risk of self-harm and suicidal behavior, and other debilitating experiences. In short: it’s life-threatening to be denied the freedom to be yourself. Since that legislation has been passed, 30+ anti-LGBTQ+ bills have been created and are scheduled to enter for voting in the coming months, including one that is currently trying to replicate Flordia’s “Don’t Say Gay Bill.”
Current trackers show Mississippi has introduced the highest number of bills out of any other state legislature used to target LGBTQIA+ people(s) this year. Williams Institute estimates our state to have 9,600 Trans Adults and 2,400 Trans Youth, which is a small portion of the 3 million residents in our state; however, they need to stop using that to their advantage.
Saturday’s rally had over 100 youth members attending, spreading joy on a gloomy rainy day. Five individuals gave speeches all from a different array of topics. Thomas McGaughy spoke about transitioning at a college in Mississippi. Eli Norstrom gave an impactful lesson on the logistics of HB1125 and how we can not let this bill get the best of us. Eli was the idea maker for this rally who helped throughout putting the rally together. Jose Reyes spoke on behalf of Justice for Jaylee and connected their stories together. One of Mississippi’s local drag queens, Fendi LaFemme gave a touching expressive ASL performance to the song “Titanium.” The final guest speaker was Rosa Sanchez, a genuine member of transgender youth who showed bravery by talking about her high school experience while still being a student at Oxford High School. All these speeches were tied together by the host Ethan, who spoke on the gender binary, masculinity and feminity, the effects and repercussions of HB1125, his experience involving the school system and queer topics, drag queens, and the discussion of the politicization of pronouns.
Ethan started off the rally by reciting the “Star Spangled Banner” and paying a tribute to the line ‘Land of the Free, Home of the Brave’ and followed with “These words will never be deleted, you can’t change history and erase people from the present.” While highlighting different groups in this community, he expressed confuseion as to why drag queens are hated by the same people who love White Chicks and the Madea movies. He thinks politics have polarized everything from human rights to grammar and says that “Drag is not ‘bad’ until it is coined as Drag.”
Ethan Robertson spoke about his time in elementary and high school where very few openly gay individuals existed, due to games like “Smear the Queer” and “Drag the F**,” which children learned at a young age. He explained that schools have since carried out harmful transphobic and homophobic ideologies that leaders refuse to acknowledge. They have never cared about children and youth nor their education, only the agenda of queerphobia, he said, which is devastating considering that Mississippi is ranked #43 in education.
Even though he is not a member of the LGBTQIA+ community, Ethan still made his love and support evident by advocating that transgender members advance life for cis straight white males, like him, too by helping tear down the patriarchy and ending harmful gender norms that have perpetrated men’s vulnerability. At the end of the speeches, everyone took to marching laps around the square in love for one another and hope for a better tomorrow.
This Wednesday, February 15, there will be a Support Trans Youth rally happening on the South Capitol Grounds in Jackson, Mississippi, that is in direct response to this rally. The youth is making a change! The riot ended with the words “I am happy you exist.” Although the weather was not perfect and the mic would not cooperate, love and happiness were still spread throughout the square of Oxford, Mississippi on February 11th at the Protect Trans Youth Rally.
