Thousands join 22nd annual Trans March in San Francisco
The 22nd annual Trans March took place in San Francisco on Friday night. It's one of the largest events of its kind in the world.
Organizers say it was more important than ever to come together this year and support each other.
Roughly 20,000 people marched from Dolores Park to the Tenderloin, as one trans community supporting each other. The Reyes-Hodges family marched for the first time, with their daughter recently coming out as trans.
"Coming out myself when I was young, that was hard," said Nancy Hodges. "I can't imagine how hard that was for my parents. Then when she came out, it was like crap."
"As a mother, just thinking about the obstacles she will face," said Zulma Reyes. "Not about the physical or anything about the transition itself, because I will support her no matter what. But what are the obstacles and challenges? Life is already hard enough."
Pothi Reyes Hodges says she was nervous and cried as she told her parents about her transition but at this march feels lucky to be supported by the community and by her parents.
"I'd rather they be here with than not," Hodges said. "It means a lot that they both came out here."
"We love her, so that is what it is," said Hodges. "I'd much rather have her here with me and with us than not at all because they don't feel accepted."
Organizers of the Trans March say this year's event is an act of resistance.
To be trans is to transcend the idea of every binary that exists," organizer Eli Berry said. "Nothing is about either or."
Berry said that with a wave of anti-trans legislation introduced this year, it was especially important for the trans community to speak out.
"There's an argument of whether trans should be in LGBT," Berry said. "However, for me, trans people are disproportionately impacted. What that means is there's not even that much of us, but there are more of us that get arrested. More of us that are homeless. More of us that can't get jobs."
Many say seeing this turnout gives them hope for the future. That one day trans people will be accepted and understood.
"We're all on this earth for so little," said Reyes. "Such a small amount of time. All we want is happiness, love to just live life."
