President Donald Trump criticizes a trans athlete's win in California, Ohio lawmakers advocate for drag restrictions, and WorldPride in the District of Columbia carried on despite political concerns.
Trans Athlete’s Victory Becomes Trump’s Next Target
AB Hernandez, a 16-year-old track and field athlete, won one silver and two gold medals at her state finals' competition. But her victories are now the target of politicians and conservative activists who want to keep trans women out of sports.
President Donald Trump recognized Hernandez’s participation and posted about it on social media, stating, “NOT FAIR, AND TOTALLY DEMEANING TO WOMEN AND GIRLS.”
Hernandez said she didn’t let the national attention affect her focus on the competition.
“I can tune it out pretty well. I don’t really care,” Hernandez told the Guardian. “It’s weird when reporters come, and I’m like, I forgot I’m famous now. But for the most part, I’m living a normal life, and then I go on social media and, I’m like, wait, I’m known.”
Lawmakers Advocate For Drag Restrictions
Photo via Pexels.
The Ohio House Judiciary Committee is hearing a bill that would limit “adult cabaret performances,” or shows “harmful to juveniles” that feature “entertainers who exhibit a gender identity that is different from the performers’ or entertainers’ biological sex.”
The bill would ban shows it defines as harmful everywhere except nightlife establishments such as bars, clubs and some restaurants.
Critics of the bill, such as the ACLU of Ohio, say it “broadly targets anyone who performs exhibiting a gender identity different than the entertainer’s biological sex at birth” and “relies on notoriously vague legal standards used to determine whether content is considered obscene.”
WorldPride Pressed On Amid Political Concerns
Photo via worldpridedc.org.
WorldPride is held in a different city around the globe every two years. This year, its presence in the United States capital is both fitting and anxiety-inducing for some.
Though the location for this year’s event was determined before President Donald Trump took office. Trump’s attack on vulnerable communities have made some people afraid to attend the event, June Crenshaw, deputy director of Capital Pride Alliance, said.
"We are trans and gender non-conforming, we are Black and brown, we are immigrants, we are disabled. And so the environment that is created for all the members of our community has impacted folks' decision to participate," Crenshaw said.
But the event charged on as both a celebration and a protest.
The two-week celebration, including a parade, festival and concert last weekend, drew millions of people to the nation’s capital. For Crenshaw, the event was vital in ensuring LGBTQ people are seen and heard.
“This is the year that visibility and showing up and challenging both the narrative and the harm that's being done to our community is more important than ever, and that anyone that is in a position to be here to show up … would be really essential for you to be here,” Crenshaw said.
