'There are real human lives at stake': Trans Life Q&A event counters Saturday rally
Rainbow Rutherford will provide facts with a Trans Life Q&A event to counter misinformation, organizer Shae Crowell said.
The LGBTQI+ support group booked a meeting room from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturday at Linebaugh Library in downtown Murfreesboro. The city's police force will be protecting the library and people the same day during a 2 p.m. Teens Against Gender Mutilation Rally at Civic Plaza area, which includes the library and Murfreesboro City Hall.
The booked meeting room can hold about 15 to 20 Rainbow Rutherford members, and the public is welcome to attend if space is available. Those unable to attend will be able to seek information through the Rainbow Rutherford Facebook page, Crowell said.
Guest speaker Ray Holloman, who is a transgender educator and activist, will address issues facing the trans community in Tennessee, where to look for resources and what are the myths vs realities of the transgender experience.
The Rainbow Rutherford event will end about 90 minutes prior to the Teens Against Gender Mutilation Surgery Rally on Saturday. The rally sponsored by Turning Point USA/Faith obtained approval from the Murfreesboro government in November after City Manager Craig Tindall wrote an Oct. 17 letter saying he'd deny future permits for BoroPride to continue the annual LGBTQI+ festival and drag show.
Tindall's letter accused organizers of the Sept. 17 BoroPride event of violating the city's ordinances by exposing “children to a harmful prurient interest.”
Drag show dispute:Mayor McFarland tells BoroPride supporters to 'find a way to compromise'
Crowell has concerns with 'incivility'
Crowell said political leaders opposing the LGBTQI+ community are spreading misinformation. She also opposes a proposed Tennessee law banning the ability of children to continue to have access to gender affirming care they already receive.
"I’m concerned the incivility and cruelty endemic in national and local discussions about the trans community," said Crowell, who served as founding program director for "Major Minors," the LGBTQ+ youth chorus of Nashville in Harmony.
Crowell also worries about transgender children being a high risk of suicide.
"People who are creating policy and influencing policy are not speaking to the families of trans community members nor are they speaking to the trans community itself," Crowell said.
Those opposing gender affirming care are not pursuing data and science and what we know about mental health and biology to drive policy decisions, Crowell said.
"Instead, they are using children as political wedge pieces to build their political careers, social media followings and reputations," Crowell said. "There are real human lives at stake here that need to be respected and cared for with more than laws and hateful speech."
Police gear for library security:Murfreesboro OKs rally against transgender care
MTSU student wants to promote LGBTQI+ facts: 'We are just out here pushing for real information'
Middle Tennessee State University student Zofia Zagalsky also has concerns about the rally.
"It’s just ridiculous the city is approving these misinformation rallies coming to Tennessee," said Zagalsky, a senior who's active with MT Lambda, which is an LGBTQI+ organization at MTSU.
"We are just out here pushing for real information and real discussion," said Zagalsky, a 2016 Stewarts Creek High School graduate in Smyrna who's majoring in psychology with minors in family studies and mental health services.
Zagalsky doubts the rally will persuade MTSU students and others.
"We‘re a college town," Zagalsky said. "It’s not going to work out. It’s just going to cause backlash."
Enough to ban it? BoroPride, drag show complaints total 5, public records show
Reach reporter Scott Broden with news tips or questions by emailing him at sbroden@dnj.com. Follow him on Twitter @ScottBroden. To support his work with The Daily News Journal, sign up for a digital subscription.
What to know about rally
Event: Teens Against Gender Mutilation Surgery Rally
When: 2 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 28
Location: Civic Plaza by Murfreesboro City Hall and Linebaugh Library
Event organizer: Turning Point USA/Faith
Murfreesboro Police will be present: "The Murfreesboro Police Department respects the rights of individuals to lawfully exercise their 1st Amendment rights to free speech and peaceful assembly," spokesman Larry Flowers said. "MPD will have officers present on the day of the event at Civic Plaza. Our department does not release our security plans."
Source: Murfreesboro government records
What to know about Trans Life Q&A
Purpose: Provide information about issues facing trans community across Tennessee, resources for local support advocacy and action, and myths v. realities of the trans experience
When: 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 28
Where: Reserved meeting room at Linebaugh Library in downtown Murfreesboro
Guest speaker: Ray Holloman
Sponsoring organization: Rainbow Rutherford, an LGBTQI+ support group
Source: Rainbow Rutherford
This article originally appeared on Murfreesboro Daily News Journal: Rainbow Rutherford counters misinformation with Trans Life Q&A event
