Q+ will host panel on anti-trans legislation this coming Thursday

This Thursday, a panel titled “A Flood of Hate: The Rise of Anti-Transgender Legislation” will bring together activists, policy experts and community members to address the surge in anti-trans bills sweeping across the United States. This panel event, organized by Queer Proud Lavender Union for Students (Q+), will focus on the growing number of state-level bills aimed at restricting transgender rights and how these laws impact transgender individuals and the broader LGBTQ+ community.

The panel will feature prominent voices from policy, advocacy and community. Participants include Political Director at Gender Justice Action Monica Meyer and Director of Policy at Outfront Minnesota Karlton Laster. Both organizations are focused on advocacy and social justice work. Also present will be CSB+SJU’s own Emily Berg Paup, the program director for the gender studies minor, and historian and counseling masters student at SCSU Brianna Pace. Malik Stewart, director of the Multicultural Center, will moderate the panel and lead them through prewritten questions about the theme of the event.

“I think it’s very important to raise awareness to these bills that are being put forth in our government and how they are hurting our trans siblings …as well as give people resources to advocate for themselves and help advocate for their trans siblings,” said Alias Bachmeier, CSB senior and Q+ Advocacy Coordinator.

Bachmeier has been in charge of organizing this event, something that has been in the works since last year but was cancelled due to a sudden snowstorm.

“[Planning involved] a lot of emailing and researching potential panelists as well as bouncing off ideas with my supervisors and team,” Bachmeier said. “I also spent a lot of time researching about the issue at hand, specifically many of the different bills across the country that have already been put into effect as well as ones still on the table.”

According to the ACLU, more than 500 anti-LGBTQ+ bills have been introduced across the country this year alone. The panel presents as an educational event on how the legislation specifically targets transgender people. The event will define terms necessary for understanding the topic, then proceed to prewritten questions based on general opinions as well as targeted to the specific areas of expertise of the panelists.

In addition to raising awareness, the panel will outline ways allies can get involved in combating these legislative efforts. Bachmeier hopes attendees will gain knowledge of what’s going on and what to do about it.

“I hope everyone who comes to this event says ‘[Expletive], that sucks, we should change that,” Bachmeier said.

The event is scheduled to take place Thursday from 5:30 p.m.-7 p.m. in the Multicultural Center student space.