Hundreds rally for Transgender Unity March in Santa Barbara

March 8, 2025 at 5:02 pm by Anusha Singh and Kaavya Saini

Over 400 people gathered in downtown Santa Barbara on March 1 to protest the Trump Administration’s policies on transgender populations and to support the LGBTQIA+ community.

Signage at the unity march that reads, “Trans right are human rights” Kaavya Saini / Daily Nexus

On his first day in office, President Donald Trump signed an executive order declaring the government would only recognize two “unchangeable” sexes: female and male. Other executive orders he signed since then include defunding gender-affirming medical care for transgender youth, barring schools from helping transitioning students, opening avenues for barring transgender individuals from military service and more.

The rally, organized by the Santa Barbara Transgender Advocacy Network (SBTAN), featured dance performances, speeches and opportunities for community members to speak. Organizers said the event was held to foster community amid what they see as increasingly aggressive Trump administration policies against transgender rights.

“The rhetoric has been appalling and horrifying in the way the [executive] orders are written — they dehumanize trans folks, [and] they make it seem like being trans is a lie or a falsehood or a deception,” SBTAN volunteer Ess Pokornowski said. “Personally speaking, coming out as trans was the most honest thing I ever did.”

Participants met at De La Guerra Plaza at noon. Protestors carried signs with messages such as “Support Trans Healthcare” and “Of Course I Love my Trans Son” while others waved flags from the LGBTQIA+ community.

SBTAN organizers led community members in a march from the plaza up State Street shortly after 1 p.m. Anusha Singh / Daily Nexus

The rally kicked off with a performance by World Dance for Humanity, a local nonprofit funding humanitarian causes worldwide, such as access to food and healthcare services in Rwanda and Ukraine. The performers danced to songs popular in the LGBTQIA+ community for their messages of acceptance like “Born This Way” by Lady Gaga and “This Is Me” by Keala Settle.

“The songs that we did today were just kind of about, you know, standing in your power, owning your power, owning yourself, expressing yourself, loving yourself,” World Dance for Humanity Instructor and Marketing Director Heather Williams said.

Following the performance, Santa Barbara City Councilmember Kristen Sneddon gave words of support to the LGBTQIA+ individuals protesting, highlighting the struggles of transgender people.

“You matter; we see you. You belong in all the spaces where people are. You belong in sports. You belong in medicine. You belong everywhere,” Sneddon said.

Sneddon emphasized the importance of self-affirmation, citing personal experiences of being pushed out of spaces as a “woman in science.” Many speakers drew connections to other communities being impacted by the current administration’s policies.

UC Santa Barbara alum Lyiam Galo said attacks on transgender rights are connected to “similar attacks on immigrants and undocumented people.” He drew attention to stereotypes surrounding marginalized communities in particular.

“False narratives follow these folks too, like a shadow. Criminals, drug dealers, murderers, whatever. Try neighbors, public servants, taxpayers, better yet, drivers of the economy and culture,” Galo said.

Rally speaker and associate professor of linguistics at UCSB Lal Zimman emphasized the intersectional nature of the rally and stressed the importance of community building to achieve justice.

“Something that I really loved about this rally is that it wasn’t just framed around trans issues. We were thinking about other communities that are equally being targeted and also really need public and community support right now … That is the only way to achieve any kind of justice for any community — to find ways to build coalitions and work together,” Zimman said.

Zimman, who currently works in the field of transgender linguistics, emphasized the importance of listening to academic experts amid growing political and social challenges to transgender rights.

“The aggression with which trans people are being targeted is really like nothing we’ve ever seen before. I would really like public officials to trust experts when it comes to these topics,” Zimman said. “Rather than having a policy against young people accessing hormones, for instance, to say, ‘Wow, there are a lot of scientists and doctors who know a lot about this. Let’s learn from them about what’s really going on.’”

Other speakers stressed the importance of local legislation and called the rally to action. California state delegate candidate Amber Thompson took to the stage to garner support for a proposed sanctuary policy in Ventura County.

The policy, authored by Thompson, would prohibit the use of city resources to enforce federal policies that target services relating to “reproductive rights, immigrant safety and access to gender-affirming care” in Ventura County.

“I wrote that policy because our community needs protection from the massive government overreach that seeks to erase us. As you know, we will not be erased,” Thompson said.

The importance of local legislation along the Central Coast was a sentiment shared by many at the rally.

“The big thing here — here as in Santa Barbara — is local legislation. And not just here, but across the Central Coast, there has been legislation written to protect our community, our healthcare, our rights but also reproductive rights, immigrant rights as well,” SBTAN board member Alice Fulmer said.

Following the speeches, SBTAN organizers led community members in a march from the plaza up State Street shortly after 1 p.m. Onlookers captured videos with their smartphones, with some passing cars honking in support.

Chants included “Love, not hate, that makes America great,” “Trans rights are human rights” and “2, 4, 6, 8 – this is not a place for hate,” among others.

The protestors marched up until Valencia Street before turning back toward De La Guerra Plaza. The rally concluded around 1:45 p.m., but rallygoers were then free to “just celebrate each other and be in community,” said Pokornowski.

In light of the rally’s spirit of solidarity, transgender Latina activist and rally speaker Deja Re underscored the severity of the ongoing struggle for transgender rights.

“We’re not asking the government for permission to exist. We are demanding our right to live, to love and to thrive without fear,” Re said.