We Won’t Go Back: Standing for LGBTQ+ Rights
by Judy Nicole Kirby
My name is Judy Nicole, and I’m a bisexual (or maybe pansexual) woman. I’ve known that I was interested in other genders for as long as I can remember.
My first real love was a girl.
I want to tell you about something that happened in 2004 that I’ve never forgotten. That year, my stepmother physically ripped the shirt off my back, right in front of a busload of students that were waiting on me to board the bus to school; all because it had little purple, blue, and pink rainbows on it.
As she tore it off, she screamed at me:
“You can be gay or you can be straight, but bisexuals are just whores who crawl into bed with anyone who gives them attention.”
I was a kid.
And that shame, that confusion, that erasure, it stayed with me for a long time.
Bisexuality and pansexuality often fall through the cracks, even within queer spaces. We get told we’re not queer enough to belong, or that we’re too queer to be safe in the world.
So I’ll be honest: I only feel half-qualified to write about this. But I’m doing it anyway. Because staying silent in the face of cruelty- that’s not an option anymore.
Right now, the LGBTQ+ community is under attack in very real, very dangerous ways.
Since returning to power, Donald Trump and his administration have enacted policy after policy that hurts LGBTQ+ people, especially trans people and queer youth.
They’ve banned transgender Americans from serving openly in the military.
They’ve erased protections in healthcare.
They’ve tried to stop kids from receiving life-saving gender-affirming care.
They’ve removed LGBTQ+ resources from federal websites.
And they’ve redefined civil rights laws to exclude us, deliberately.
This is not just policy.
These are people’s lives.
These are attacks on dignity, on autonomy, on freedom.
And we have to fight back.
So, what can we do?
First: We vote. In every election.
Local, state, federal. All of it.
Because the worst of these policies didn’t start in D.C. - They started in school boards and statehouses.
We support candidates who defend human rights, and we hold them to it. We mobilize our friends, our families, our neighbors. We make sure our communities know that queer people’s lives are not up for debate.
Second: We support the legal fight.
Groups like the ACLU, Lambda Legal, the Human Rights Campaign—they’re taking these battles to court.
They’re defending queer kids in hostile states. They’re protecting healthcare. They’re fighting for us.
And they need us to back them—with our voices, our dollars, and our presence.
Third: We show up for each other.
We create safe spaces.
We defend people at risk.
We shut down hate speech- yes, even at the dinner table, even at church, even when it’s awkward.
We become the people we needed when we were younger.
And if you’re an artist, a teacher, a musician, a writer, use your voice.
Queer joy is revolutionary.
Queer art, queer storytelling, queer love it all pushes back against the forces trying to erase us.
So write the song.
Paint the mural.
Tell your story.
Shout it from rooftops if you have to.
Because when we tell the truth, we remind each other that we are not alone.
I know it’s exhausting. I know it’s scary.
I know what it’s like to be made to feel like your existence is an inconvenience or a threat.
But I also know this:
We are more powerful than we think.
They want us to be tired. They want us divided. They want us to believe we’re too small to make a difference.
But we are not small.
We are many.
We are loud.
We are fierce.
We are still here and we’re not going anywhere.
So to those in power trying to strip us of our rights, our healthcare, our joy we have one thing to say:
We see you.
We will fight you.
In the courts. At the ballot box. In the streets. And in the hearts and minds of everyone we meet.
We will not go back.
Bonus notes:
The Trump administration has implemented a series of policies and actions that have been widely criticized as harmful to LGBTQ+ individuals. These measures span various areas, including military service, healthcare, education, and civil rights protections.
Military Service
Ban on Transgender Individuals in the Military: Executive Order 14183, signed on January 27, 2025, prohibits individuals who identify with a gender different from their biological sex from serving in the U.S. military. The order cites concerns over unit cohesion and military effectiveness. Implementation included revising enlistment standards and discontinuing accommodations for gender identity, such as pronoun usage and access to facilities aligning with one’s gender identity .
Healthcare
Restrictions on Gender-Affirming Care for Minors: Executive Order 14187, titled “Protecting Children from Chemical and Surgical Mutilation,” was issued on January 28, 2025. It aims to prevent gender-affirming care for individuals under 19 by withholding federal funding from providers offering such treatments. The order has led to legal challenges and temporary injunctions blocking some of its provisions .
Rollback of LGBTQ+ Patient Protections: In 2020, the administration finalized a rule that overturned Obama-era protections for transgender individuals against sex discrimination in healthcare. The Department of Health and Human Services stated it would enforce sex discrimination protections based on biological sex, excluding gender identity from consideration .
Education and Civil Rights
Ban on Transgender Athletes in Women’s Sports: Executive Order 14201, signed in February 2025, prohibits transgender women from competing on girls’ and women’s sports teams. The order threatens to revoke federal funding from educational institutions that allow transgender girls to participate in female sports teams, redefining sex under Title IX as based solely on biological sex at birth .
Revocation of Non-Discrimination Protections: On January 21, 2025, the administration rescinded Executive Order 11246, which had prohibited federal contractors from discriminating based on sexual orientation and gender identity. This move was part of a broader effort to eliminate diversity, equity, and inclusion programs within the federal government .
Federal Agencies and Public Services
Removal of LGBTQ+ Resources from Federal Websites: Following Executive Order 14168, the administration deleted mentions of LGBTQ+ resources across federal government websites. This included the removal of data and resources related to LGBTQ+ individuals from public health and education platforms .
Changes in Prison Policies for Transgender Inmates: The Department of Justice, under Executive Order 14168, implemented policies that led to the transfer of transgender women to men’s prisons and restricted access to gender-affirming care. These actions have faced legal challenges and temporary blocks from federal judges .
Cultural and Symbolic Actions
Exclusion from Pride Month Recognitions: The administration has been noted for canceling LGBTQ+ events, removing rainbow lighting from federal buildings like the Kennedy Center, and avoiding official recognition of Pride Month. Critics argue these actions symbolize a broader rollback of LGBTQ+ progress .