Transgender community to their Las Vegas allies: Support us by showing up

Transpride week events continue through Monday

As the Trump administration considers rolling back the recognition and protection of transgender people, members of Las Vegas’ transgender community aren’t sitting still. Last month, The New York Times reported on a draft memo prepared by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services outlining efforts to legally define a person’s gender as “male or female, unchangeable and determined by the genitals that a person is born with.” This new language would remove protections for more than a million transgender Americans who do not identify with the gender they were born into.

On Nov. 2, a group of about 50 students and Las Vegas community members gathered at the “We Exist and We Vote” rally at UNLV. Organized by more than 10 groups in Southern Nevada, including Our Revolution Nevada, Nevada Progressive Coalition, Las Vegas Transpride, Gender Justice Nevada and Black Lives Matter UNLV, the rally served as a place for the community to speak out against the Trump administration’s latest antitrans proposal.

And this week, the community is celebrating Las Vegas Transpride Week.

There were an estimated 1.4 million trans Americans living in the United States in 2016, and experts say that number is likely higher and does not account for people not comfortable reporting their identity.

“A lot of people think they don’t know a trans person, but they do,” said Sybrina Bernabei, advocacy services coordinator at Gender Justice Nevada. “They’ve shared space with trans people — they

Today: Transgender Day of Remembrance wall will be set up from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and LGBTQ Film Festival, noon-8:30 p.m., both at 1140 Almond Tree Lane

Friday: Las Vegas Human Rights March and rally, 7 p.m., gather on sidewalk in front of Nordstrom on Fashion Show Drive, across from Trump Tower

Saturday: Community Vendor Fair and Festival, 10 a.m. -5 p.m., and Celebrating Diversity Worship, 5:30 p.m.-7 p.m., 1140 Almond Tree Lane

Sunday: Youth Bowling Night, 5 p.m.-8 p.m., Sam’s Town Bowling Center

Monday: Transgender Day of Remembrance Vigil, 6 p.m.-9 p.m., 1140 Almond Tree Lane

SUN FILE (2017) As Las Vegas Transpride Week continues, one of the best ways to support the trans community, a Las Vegas activist says, is to show up at its events.