Oshkosh students and community members oppose anti-trans policies

Oshkosh, WI – 20 people rallied outside of Polk Library on the UW-Oshkosh (UWO) campus, on the evening of October 29, to stand in solidarity with transgender and gender non-conforming people as they face attacks from the reactionary Trump administration.

The event was co-hosted by UWO Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) and the community group United Action Oshkosh (UAO). Taking place in a main plaza on campus, the demonstration featured militant chants, such as “We exist, we resist! We are here, we are queer!” and demanding trans rights now. Others held signs with phrases like “Trans liberation now!” and “How do you spell ‘transphobe?’ T-R-U-M-P.”

Speakers from the community gave encouraging speeches, and some passionate participants were brave enough to share a little about their own struggles on the spot.

Alex Schnier Hansen, a leader with UAO, spoke about the dangerous atmosphere being created by proposals such as Trump’s that seek to legislate transgender people out of existence.

“The people in this community are suffering. We’re afraid. That fear is fueled now on an almost weekly basis by people at the very top of national leadership in the United States and in many countries abroad,” Schnier Hansen said.

They continued, pointing to actions like this one as a way to begin not only a fightback, but a healing process as well: “These assaults need to end now. The epidemic of murder and suicide in the trans community must stop, and the road to solving it starts with local support like this.”

With the elections around the corner, event emcee and UWO SDS member Ryan Hamann made it clear that while voting is important, organizing and mobilizing the masses is what is most important. It is the people who hold the power. Only when we have wielded this power through direct action and pressure from below have we ever seen popular gains.