The Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest LGBTQ rights organization, has endorsed Kristen Browde, a transgender woman, in her bid for New York’s 93rd Assembly District.
If elected, Browde would become the Empire State’s first out transgender state legislator.
Currently, there are only 26 transgender people elected to any type of office in the United States, and only four transgender individuals currently serving in state legislatures: Danica Roem of Virginia, Brianna Titone of Colorado, and Gerri Cannon and Lisa Bunker of New Hampshire.
Browde would also be the first woman to ever hold the seat, and is currently the only female candidate in the race.
Browde previously ran for Supervisor of New Castle, N.Y., in 2017, losing a fiercely fought contest by a little under 7 points. She is currently seeking election to the seat held by Assemblyman David Buchwald.
If Browde wins the Democratic primary on June 23, she’d be favored in the general election.
Browde, a former TV journalist, lawyer, and LGBTQ activist, was one of the people involved in the push for New York’s legislature to pass GENDA, which added protections for transgender, nonbinary and intersex individuals into the state’s human rights law.
She serves as the board president of the LGBT Bar Association of Greater New York and is co-chair of the National Trans Bar Association.
“I have worked closely with Kristen Browde to make progressive change in New York for many years and have come to know what Westchester is learning: Kristen is a powerhouse who will fight for what she knows is right,” Alphonso David, the president of the Human Rights Campaign, said in a statement. “From working to pass GENDA, to her work as the board president of the LGBT Bar Association, Kristen has made positive change for our community at critical moments. The Human Rights Campaign is proud to endorse Kristen and look forward to working to ensure that New York has an accomplished advocate for the transgender community in the New York State Legislature.”
“I’m truly honored to have the support of the nation’s largest pro-equality organization, one that has been at the forefront of so many advances and one that has as its singular focus ensuring that true equality is achieved sooner rather than later,” Browde said in a statement. “Together we can — and will — continue the progress, no matter how the administration in Washington tries to block it.”
Browde has also been endorsed by Trans United Fund and the LGBTQ Victory Fund, which seeks to get LGBTQ people elected to office, in her bid for the Assembly seat.
“Kristen truly is an amazing candidate, with all the work she’s done fighting for our community,” Sean Meloy, the political director for the LGBTQ Victory Fund, told Metro Weekly. “She ran once, she learned [from her experience], and now she’s back, and she’s going to win. We’re very excited.”
“Kristen has lived her Democratic values for decades, and has showcased that on the campaign trail, even while COVID has really put a pall on a lot of the campaign activities,” Meloy added.
“In their last candidate forum, one of the Democrats said — and they’re all allies — ‘we’re moving from tolerance to acceptance.’ And Kristen had to educate and say, ‘We don’t just want to be accepted, we want equality. And that’s exactly what she’ll fight for in New York and nationwide.”
Daye Pope, the organizing director of Trans United Fund, praised Browde as an “exciting” candidate.
“Kristen’s been working on LGBTQ rights in New York for years, and was instrumental in passing GENDA. She’s been working closely with the governor and the legislature, even before running for office, to make it easier for same-sex couples to start a family,” Pope said. “Trans United Fund sees her as an exciting progressive candidate across the board, advocating for criminal justice reform, working on paid family leave, and pushing for gun reform. We’re excited to see her potentially make history as the first transgender lawmaker. It’s overdue for New York.”
Trans-Latinx DMV is holding a rally on March 31 to commemorate the Trans Day of Visibility.
The rally, to be held in Washington, D.C.'s Dupont Circle from 5 to 8 p.m., will serve as both a celebration of the Trans Day of Visibility and a show of resistance against the harmful policies currently targeting the transgender community.
The rally's theme, "Por el Reconocimiento de Mi Identidad" ("For the Recognition of My Identity") will honor the resilience of the transgender community and amplify the voices and stories of transgender individuals, especially those within the Latinx community, at a time when transgender existence is under attack.
The Trump administration is considering a plan to eliminate the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Division of HIV Prevention.
The CDC provides approximately $1 billion per year on domestic HIV prevention, funneling funds to states and territories, who then distribute it to local health departments and organizations.
The money primarily goes toward testing efforts to detect and respond to HIV outbreaks, carrying out campaigns to educate the public about the disease, and to encourage the adoption of prevention methods, including condoms and the use of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) to reduce chances of transmission.
U.S. Rep. Becca Balint has introduced a bill to protect and expand access to gender-affirming care for transgender individuals at a time when the Trump administration is seeking to restrict the practice.
The Vermont Democrat's bill -- the Transgender Health Care Access Act -- establishes grants to support medical education programs and professional training in transition-related care, and to expand access to such services in rural communities.
She introduced the bill on March 31, coinciding with Transgender Day of Visibility.
The congresswoman noted in a news release that in a survey of students at 10 medical schools, nearly 4 in 5 students did not feel competent at treating transgender patients suffering from gender dysphoria.
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