BY KAYLIN GUZMAN
The brittle wind carried the voices of more than two dozen young transgender protestors and allies present in Union Square on March 9.
Alex Carroll and Raven Benjamin were two of the organizers present at the protest that kept busy by interacting with fellow attendees. Both are high school students concerned about the rights for the LGBTQ+ community.
Carroll and Benjamin organized this event by reaching out to their followers and allies on Instagram, @nycyouth4transrights.
At Union Square, about two dozen young protestors prepared to march to Washington Square Park for additional visibility.
“I think it’s important personally because there are a lot of anti-trans bills currently being put out. I think there were about 430 this year alone in the U.S. Not all of them pass, but there are still a lot,” said Carrol. “I think we need to put a stop to that, and there have been a lot of trans people dying, such as Brianna Ghey.”
Brianna Ghey was an English trans teen that was found with a fatal stab wound in a park on Feb.11, according to BBC reports. Two teens have been charged with the murder of Ghey with a trial in July.
Her presence was with the protestors as they included her name on signs they carried in their march.
“I have really been noticing a pattern of people being hated for who they are,” said Benjamin. “As somebody who’s not someone that’s not in charge, you know I’m 17; there’s not much I can do, but I can make sure my voice is heard, and I can make sure that people who have the same experience as me know they are not alone.”
They shuffled around the crowd that was slowly gathering at Union Square. They talked with many of the people present and prepared to march to Washington Square park. Most of those present were high school students participating in a school walkout.
However, one person present tried to keep the young people from marching for their rights. The group had received threats over their social media pages. Participants were instructed to be on the lookout as this person could be dangerous to the young students present.
“I want to thank everyone for coming here today. For crawling out of school. For walking out. For not going to work. Thank you for coming here to support this. I stand here today to tell you that we love you, we care about you, and we want you to be okay,” Carroll said into a megaphone, attempting to speak over the loud city.
After their speech, Carroll and Benjamin started gathering the crowd to start the march. They had several chants as they approached the second half of their protest. They chanted about the rights of Trans people, Black people, and women in the city.
When they reached Washington Square park, many participants were allowed to share their experiences in the safe space the crowd provided.
From the small victories participants wanted to share, to some expressing the fear they have as young Trans people in the United States, they cheered each other during speeches and made sure all who shared felt safe and heard.
Jordan Westbrooke was also present at the protest. One of the elder people present at the protest, she wanted to impart wisdom on the next generation.
“I wanted to show them how to properly do a protest,” said Westbrooke. Throughout the entire event Westbrooke gave advice to the young activist to keep everyone safe.
Westbrooke said that she was excited for the new generation and what they had to say. “New voices are needed. It’s refreshing to see them all participate in a movement they believe in.”