Trans people—especially trans women of color—have made significant contributions to our progressive movement. To help celebrate their leadership and raise awareness about the discrimination they face, individuals and organizations come together to celebrate the annual Trans Day of Action (TDOA). GLAAD explains the TDOA as:
The Trans Day of Action is a march and rally designed to bring together trans and gender non-conforming people of color and allies to rise up in solidarity and strength against violence and discrimination while honoring and continuing the struggle for justice, liberation, and recognition for all oppressed people worldwide. Points of unity hold together the purpose of the march which also celebrates the victories made in the transgender movement over the past year.
This year, the People’s Action and the People’s Action Institute are holding a campaign to bring this important day throughout the digital progressive sphere. And they’re using the day to highlight just how deadly the Republican repeal of health care is for the trans community in particular. The Affordable Care Act made strides in improving trans access to health care—and improving the quality of it. Quartz explains:
The impact of the Affordable Care Act on the trans community has been profound. In 2016, the Obama administration ruled that transgender people should be granted equal access to healthcare under Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act. That provision states that providers which receive federal funding must offer “health services related to gender transition” for trans patients.
“The range of transition-related services, which includes treatment for gender dysphoria, is not limited to surgical treatments, and may include, but is not limited to, services such as hormone therapy and psychotherapy, which may occur over the lifetime of the individual,” Section 1157 reads.
This is a tremendous improvement. HIV advocate McMurray paid for her transition out-of-pocket, using savings from her retirement account. She explains that prior to the Affordable Care Act, many trans people couldn’t get insurance at all, even to treat something as small as a sore throat, let alone hormones or surgery.
To learn more about what is being done for TDOA, visit the Audre Lorde Project’s website and check out #TDOA on Twitter.