Laverne Cox Joins Hundreds at ‘Trans Liberation Now!’ Rally Hosted by Los Angeles LGBT Center to Champion Trans Rights
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The rally united trans community leaders, allies, and advocates in a collective call for nationwide action against anti-trans laws.
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Events Images Here | Event Video Clips Here
LOS ANGELES, April 5, 2025 — On Saturday, a powerful wave of love, celebration, and resistance filled the Los Angeles LGBT Center’s headquarters in the heart of Hollywood as hundreds joined the Trans Liberation Now! rally. Hosted by the Center, in partnership with The TransLatin@ Coalition, Equality California, Advocates for Trans Equality, and over a dozen allied organizations, the rally united trans, gender-nonconforming, and intersex (TGNBI+) Angelenos and allies in a resounding call for justice, equity, and liberation
“Today, we gather—not in fear, not in despair, but in power. To celebrate, empower, and protect trans and gender-expansive people here in Los Angeles and across the nation,” Los Angeles LGBT Center CEO Joe Hollendoner said in his opening remarks. “Our fight is not about today; it’s about our future. A future where every trans child grows up knowing they are loved and accepted. A future where healthcare and bodily autonomy are protected rights. A future where trans liberation isn’t just a rallying cry—it’s a reality. Together, let’s make that future happen by demanding Trans Liberation Now!”
Keynote speaker Laverne Cox, acclaimed actress and trailblazing trans rights advocate, electrified the audience with a deeply personal and inspiring address.
Other speakers included Sydney Rodgers of the Center’s Trans Wellness Center; Tony Hoang, Executive Director of Equality California; Anya Marino, Chief Strategic Programs Officer for Advocates for Trans Equality; and Hector Plascencia, Co-Chair of the Los Angeles County LGBTQ+ Commission. Each delivered messages underscoring critical need for solidarity and systemic change in the face of political and social attacks on the TGNBI+ community.
Below, find highlights from the stage program:
Laverne Cox, Keynote Speaker(she/her):
“The center of democracy is truth. You’re not free if you’ve been lied to. When Miss Thing—we’ll call him “Miss Thing”—said he didn’t know anything about Project 2025, did any of us believe that? Well, the people who voted for him did. They believed him when he said, “I’m not gonna take away your Social Security and Medicare.” … Maybe, if they can begin to understand that they’ve been lied to, maybe they can look to their trans siblings and understand that they were lied to about them too.”
“Being educated makes me think about just the title of Bell Hooks’ book Teaching to Transgress: Education as a Practice of Freedom. It makes me think—as they’re defunding the Department of Education—how the slave owners didn’t want Black people to be able to read. Because when you can read, when you are educated and you know better, you can take control of your life.”
“The real enemy is not actually trans people. The real enemy’s not migrants or poor people or homeless people or any other scapegoat that they claim. The enemy, clearly, is the plutocrats, the oligarchs, the billionaires and corporations who create these issues to divide working class people.”
Joe Hollendoner, CEO, Los Angeles LGBT Center (he/him):
“Let me remind you of what people like Sylvia Rivera and Marsha P. Johnson knew when they helped spark the revolution at Stonewall: Our fight is not about today; it’s about our future. A future where every trans child grows up knowing they are loved and accepted. A future where healthcare and bodily autonomy are protected rights. A future where trans liberation isn’t just a rallying cry—it’s a reality.”
Bamby Salcedo, The TransLatin@ Coalition (she/her):
“It is the responsibility of our elected officials to ensure that we have the resources we need in order for us to live beautiful lives. There is no reason for us to have what we need. They cannot say they don’t have the money or resources, because they do. It is up to us to demand that they serve us.”
Tony Hoang, Executive Director, Equality California (he/him):
“We are here because we refuse to be silenced while trans people are under attack. We know that when our community is under fire, we show up. Across this country, extremist politicians are launching a full blown attack on trans lives. They’re criminalizing health care. They’re barring participation in sports and the military. They’re targeting our kids. They’re trying to erase their existence. But let me be crystal clear: When it comes to protecting the dignity and human rights of transgender people, the gloves are off. Equality California and our partners will never back down, and we will never stop fighting.
Anya Marino, Chief Strategic Programs Officer, Advocates for Trans Equality (she/her):
“In service of their vision for a draconian white supremacist society, all of us are vilified. All of us who are part of an historically oppressed population are labeled enemies. They use this label to turn us against one another, provoke infighting, [and] discourage solidarity with the goal of dismantling all our civil and constitutional rights. But we know better. We will not be manipulated against each other.”
Hector Plascencia, Co-Chair, LA County LGBTQ+ Commission (they/them):
“We need you to believe that the best-case scenario is possible. We invite you to close your eyes and imagine the best-case scenario in your life, in your relationships, in your work, and in this political climate. Now decide that all of your actions, your thoughts, your behavior, your feelings, will act toward this scenario.”
The event also featured a performance by Miss Shalae, a renowned tribute artist, and a high-energy DJ set from Nico Craig, transforming the plaza into a space of resilience, pride, and unfiltered queer joy.
Attendees also engaged with dozens of local organizations at the rally’s TGNBI+ Resource Fair, which offered resources for health care, legal aid, housing support, and social services specifically designed to support trans and gender-diverse individuals.
Additional community partner organizations included: Los Angeles LGBT Center Policy Department, The Sidewalk Project, Trans*Lounge, Los Angeles Centers for Alcohol & Drug Abuse (L.A. CADA), APAIT, Minority AIDS Project, Kedren Community Health Center, Invisible Men, Unique Woman’s Coalition (UWC), San Gabriel Valley LGBTQ Center, LA Civil Rights Department, GJLA, and more.
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About the Los Angeles LGBT Center
Since 1969 the Los Angeles LGBT Center has cared for, championed, and celebrated LGBT individuals and families in Los Angeles and beyond. Today the Center’s nearly 800 employees provide services for more LGBT people than any other organization in the world, offering programs, services, and global advocacy that span four broad categories: Health, Social Services and Housing, Culture and Education, Leadership and Advocacy. We are an unstoppable force in the fight against bigotry and the struggle to build a better world; a world in which LGBT people thrive as healthy, equal, and complete members of society. Learn more at lalgbtcenter.org