AUSTIN, Texas — Two days after Transgender Day of Visibility on March 31, the Texas Freedom Network and several pro-transgender rights organizations gathered at the Texas State Capitol to support transgender rights.
Austin leaders and LGBTQ+ advocates spoke at the rally, celebrating transgender folks and letting them know they're not alone.
Angel Flores is a transgender woman who was at the rally and was recently featured on the Netflix series "Queer Eye." She began her transition in 2020, right in the middle of the pandemic.
"I'm kind of a late bloomer," said Flores. "I figured it out at 20 years old."
Not everyone was on board with her transition.
"My family was mostly accepting," she said. "It took a little bit from my father, and that was kind of the focus of the 'Queer Eye' episode. It was bringing us back together and kind of having a conversation about what I needed and what he needed and how we could mend that relationship."
She knows what it's like to not feel supported and hopes to help others who don't have someone to lean on.
Austin Mayor Steve Adler was also at the rally Saturday. He brought up state leadership's most recent attempts to have families of children receiving gender-affirming care be investigated for child abuse.
"The governor and the attorney general are cruel," he said. "It is frightening to these families. And it is really unfortunate that it's happening in my state, our state. But it's what makes it that much more important that we stand up, that we put our arms around and try to protect everybody in our community."
He will continue to stand with trans people.
"They're not alone," Adler said. "They're supported and loved in this community."
Flores knows it won't be easy to achieve equality, but she's ready to fight the battle.
"It's going to work," said Flores. "It's going to be hard. It's going to be long. It's a process, right? But we're out here. We're raising our voices. We're speaking our truth, and we're living our true lives."
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