A local youth advocacy group held a rally on Monday to celebrate and show their solidarity with the transgender community.

Organized by We Outside 607, a volunteer-run initiative to “engage and motivate youth throughout Binghamton,” the rally began at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Promenade. Community members gathered to mark Transgender Day of Visibility, which takes place annually on March 31 to honor and celebrate transgender people by uplifting the community and recognizing their societal contributions.

Participants carried signs reading “Protect Trans Rights” and “You are Loved,” demonstrating their ongoing support for the trans community.

“We’re just a bunch of people from the community standing up for the community of today,” said Beck, one of the organizers of the rally. “Today is Trans Day of Visibility. So we’re just out here being visible and supporting each other.”

Speakers were invited up to the Peacemaker’s Stage to share their personal experiences as trans individuals or how they support those in the community. Tina Barber, a mother who has a transgender son, said he faced bullying while in high school and found support at Camp Beyond Binary, an LGBTQ+ summer camp where young people “are encouraged and supported through various self-expression and self-advocacy activities, peer relationships, and an emphasis on positive self-worth and belonging,” according to the program’s website.

Barber emphasized her son’s perseverance and the importance of raising awareness about his struggles. She said she hopes sharing her son’s story will inspire a stronger understanding of his experiences and help build a greater future for his community. Her son also spoke at the rally, sharing his own story.

“It’s been difficult for him because our extended family isn’t always supportive, but he has persevered,” Barber said after the speech. “He put up with a lot of bullying in high school but didn’t always feel safe, so we’re trying to be out here to just raise awareness about him and his life and the struggles that he’s has had in hopes that it will be better for him in the future.”

Jude, a queer transgender community organizer from Binghamton, spoke about the challenges and hardships the trans community has experienced after the 2024 election, including rollbacks on individual freedoms and personal struggles. They recited a poem titled “Trans Day of Revenge” from H. Melt, a queer artist who has written several books on trans history and liberation. Jude said Melt is one of their favorite authors who write about trans experiences.

The crowd then marched through the streets around the promenade. While they were met with displays of acceptance and support from many locals, the organizers advised participants not to engage with hecklers or police and to remain peaceful.

Ezra Garcia, a 21-year-old transgender woman, said allies should show support for trans people by standing up to bullying, recalling how someone close to her threatened to stop speaking to a good friend after they made transphobic remarks.

“For all the allies out there, a lot of us would really appreciate you speaking out for us as best as you can,” Garcia said. “Don’t just stand by while someone else is making disrespectful comments. If you see something, say something.”

Jude said that they hope the trans community can “find each other” in today’s political climate. They said a speech made by a young trans kid at the rally personally moved them.

“I’m from the most agricultural and Republican county in New York — Delaware County,” they said. “Growing up, I did not know I could be trans. I didn’t know that I could be gay. I didn’t know that there were people who felt the way I felt.”

“So I’m super stoked to hear that that child was given the opportunity at such a young age to learn that,” they continued.