Trans lives are at risk. Rodrigo Heng-Lehtinen says this is how to protect them.

[Jessica_Rose]

Trans lives are at risk. Rodrigo Heng-Lehtinen says this is how to protect them.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/trans-lives-are-at-risk-rodrigo-heng-lehtinen-says-this-is-how-to-protect-them/ar-BB1j6SRb?ocid=windirect&cvid=d24b10b17c79406abc5ffb8e8b3f9868&ei=13

Story by Mira Lazine (29 Feb 2024)

On January 10, 2024, Ohio transgender youth were abandoned on a "damning day" by the state's House of Representatives. Republicans had overridden a vetoed bill denying them medically necessary health care and banning their participation in school sports consistent with their gender identity. For Rodrigo Heng-Lehtinen, it was just another day in the battle for trans equality.

But the newly appointed executive director of the National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE) shows no signs of raising the white flag. A merger expected to finalize this summer with the Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund (TLDEF) will create a powerhouse organization even better equipped to overcome the 450-plus anti-trans bills introduced across the country and the growing anti-trans sentiment among the far right.

The newly formed Advocates for Trans Equality (A4TE) will need to leverage every strategy in its playbook for the battles ahead...

"We will be able to combine forces and be twice as strong to produce results for trans people," Heng-Lehtinen tells LGBTQ Nation. "NCTE and TLDEF have been around for about 20 years and have done excellent work to fight for trans rights. But that work will be even more powerful if we put it together under the same roof..."