Gender/Sexuality/Identity

On the 2nd of March, the US Supreme Court heard arguments in the case of the Texas abortion clinic restriction law HB2. A lower court upheld a law imposing numerous architectural requirements on clinics and requiring doctors to be affiliated with hospitals. Huge crowds outside the Supreme Court chanted "Stop the Sham" referring to bogus claims this law was meant to protect women from doctors. A much smaller number of right-wingers was buried in this crowd, many of them surrounded by an arm-locked line of pro-choice activists. One of the right-wing speakers was from "Concerned Women for America,"(CWA) which is listed as an anti-Gay hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center.

Video-huge pro-choice protest surrounds smaller antichoice contingent, showing the speaker from CWA anti-Gay hate group(2:28)

On the 6th of February, a "men's rights" meetup organized by Daryush "Roosh" Valizdeh was planned for the Cross Street Market in Baltimore, MD as one of 165 similar meetups on an "International Meetup Day." Roosh is infamous for calling for the legalization of rape as well as for preaching hatred against women in general and GLBT people in particular. The Baltimore Bloc organized a counterprotest against these pro-rape men, and not a single one of them could be found at their Baltimore meetup location.

Video from the Cross Street Market counterprotest against Roosh's "Men's Rights" meetup (1 min 14 sec)

This is video and coverage from DC's Trans Week of Action march on 5th and K, Wal-Mart, and Union Station on November 17, 2015. The 5th and K area used to be used by transgender sex workers until police harassment forced them away so new condos could open. Wal-mart was targetted as they are being sued for firing Transgender employees. Union Station was chosen as the finish as it is an excellent location to educate commuters. A note on messaging: Trangender organizers put this march together along with Blackout DC, and the "Trans Lives Matter" slogan was used only after discussion between Transgender and Black Lives Matter activists in DC

Video from transgender march on 5th and K, Wal-Mart, Union Station

On the 18th of October, Trans Week of Action protesters took to the streets for the second night in a row. This time around, the blockades targeted the area around Target. Police tried to aggressively move traffic past protesters. When protesters stood their ground, one cop responded first with pushing, then with a violent takedown and arrest of an activist perceived as an organizer. Arrest can be a life-threatening experience for any transgender person, so the rest of the protesters were severely agitated by this, ultimately responding by retaking the exact same intersection.

Video-violent arrest at Trans Week of Action protest Nov 18 and precipitating incident