Youth rally in Lexington against new law banning gender-affirming care for trans kids

LGBTQ youth and supporters rallied and marched in downtown Lexington on Friday, two days after the Kentucky General Assembly voted to override a gubernatorial veto on legislation that bans gender-affirming care for transgender youth.

Many of those in attendance said they were there to offer support for each other in the face of Senate Bill 150.

“I wanted to show that we’re here, and we’re not an inconvenience,” said Milo Calloway, a junior at Lafayette High School. “To know that I’m a part of something that’s going to get attention and possibly make a change is empowering.”

Calloway said he wants “freedom for healthcare and no restraints on trans youth.”

The newly-passed legislation prohibits puberty blockers, hormones and gender-reassignment surgeries for those under 18, bans classroom discussion of sexual orientation or gender identity, prevents trans kids from using the school bathroom that aligns with their gender identity and allows teachers to refuse to use pronouns that do not match a student’s sex assigned at birth.

The law will take effect in June, barring court intervention.

Noah Healander had some pointed words for the legislature: “You are being childish, because you are bullying people younger than you.”

“Why is being yourself illegal in Kentucky?” he asked. “I will keep fighting until I am able to live authentically.”

The rally, held on the Trans Day of Visibility, was sponsored by the Lexington Pride Center and Lexington Gender and Sexuality Alliance for Youth and was one of many marches organized around the country on Friday through Queer Youth Assemble.

“Seeing everyone on this day is really important, especially with the bills that just went through,” said Madison Mullan, a Transylvania University student. “It’s hard to wrap my head around it and even come up with the words. We had been making so many strides with the LGBTQ+ community.”

Scores of people marched up Main Street and back down Short Street to the courthouse plaza, chanting, “trans rights are human rights.”

“I think it’s really important for everyone to understand that if trans rights are being stripped away, that’s an injustice to all of us,” said Cheyenne Hensley. “Our judicial system needs to knock this law down. This isn’t how Kentucky operates and how we treat one another.”

Lexington Vice Mayor Dan Wu was part of the “Parasol Patrol,” a group of marchers who carried rainbow-colored umbrellas that could be used to shield children in attendance from counter-protesters if necessary.

Wu said he was there because he “literally and figuratively wanted to support and protect our kids.”

“When our kids are under attack from anyone or for any reason, it’s our responsibility to protect them,” he said.

State Rep. Lindsey Burke, a Fayette County Democrat, was also in attendance.

Ray Loux, one of the organizers of the event, said he doesn’t know what the future holds.

“I’m scared going forward,” he told those in attendance. “I don’t know if I’ll be able to keep using the restroom that I’ve been using the last three years in school.”

But as the rally came to a close, he leaned in toward the audience and spoke very carefully into the microphone.

“You guys have to stay alive,” he said. “Cause we have to outlive them. We have to keep going.

“It’s going to get better.”