Stonewall Center prepares students for LGBTQIA+ rights to be scaled back under Trump

Advocates in the LGBTQIA+ community are preparing for their rights to be scaled back significantly with the incoming presidential administration.

Genny Beemyn is the director of the Stonewall Center at UMass Amherst. They said they’re concerned the next administration is going to make it harder for people to be able to change their gender marker on federal documents such as their passport or Social Security records.

"The federal government has the ability to put pressure on states through withholding federal funding to make them comply with various policies and initiatives," Beemyn said. "So, I worry about what sort of challenges there might be to being able to change gender marker on birth certificates and driver's licenses, as well as the federal record issue."

Beemyn decided to hold multiple information sessions, including sessions with Student Legal Services on campus, in February to prepare students.

“We will have a better sense of what restrictions are being put in place, what the time frame is for going into effect,” Beemyn said. “So we'll have better information about just what people's rights are and what they need to do to be able to change gender marker on documents."

President-elect Donald Trump said he would roll back Biden administration action seeking to protect transgender students from discrimination in schools when he enters office.

Beemyn said there are policies in place to support trans and non-binary students at UMass. They said they're in conversation with university officials on providing more mental health resources for these students because of "the impact of the administration's hostility."