Pedro Pascal, Gabrielle Union, Jamie Lee Curtis, and LeBron James are just some of the celebrities speaking out about trans rights in the wake of legal attacks against transgender people across the country. On March 2, Tennessee became the first state to pass a ban on public drag shows, and at the same time Gov. Bill Lee signed a bill that banned gender-affirming healthcare for youth in the state. Tennessee is the first state to pass an anti-drag bill, though according to a Feb. 5 report from NPR, at least eight others are trying to pass similar laws. Many have worried that the law, which bans "male or female impersonators," is designed to punish all trans people in the state.
Unfortunately, other anti-trans laws are continuing to make their way through other state governments, including a bill in Oklahoma that would ban insurance coverage for gender-affirming care, according to The Oklahoman. And in that context, at Conservative Political Action Conference over the weekend, Daily Wire host Michael Knowles called for "transgenderism" to be "eradicated," as reported by Rolling Stone.
In this climate, many LGBTQ+ celebs and their allies are using their platforms to highlight the importance of protecting trans people. Ahead, these are celebrities who are speaking out against attacks on trans rights and to support trans people across the country.