Hashtags meant to inspire activism often fizzle out before they ever reach the masses.
#EveryoneWelcome,eroticism meaning a campaign encouraging solidarity with transgender people, hopes to avoid that fate by emotionally appealing to values of fairness and equality — and by finding allies in both everyday Americans and high-profile celebrities willing to speak out.
SEE ALSO: How you can help protect trans kids right nowPartnering with Tumblr, the campaign is calling for and sharing 30- to 60-second videos of people declaring their support for transgender rights.
The initiative recently launched with videos from lawmakers and activists, while big names and people around the country will join the campaign soon.
I support #LGBT equality bc every person deserves dignity + respect in our country #EveryoneWelcome pic.twitter.com/NnhNvx0IVw
— Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (@RosLehtinen) February 15, 2017
In one video, Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, a Florida Republican, talks about her transgender son: "I believe Rigo and other transgender Americans, like everyone else should be treated fairly and equally," she says. "Nobody should have to live in fear of discrimination simply because of who they are."
Those stakes couldn't be higher. Last week, the Trump administration rolled back federal protections for transgender students, insisting that states should handle access to bathroom and locker facilities as they see fit. In a few weeks, the Supreme Court will hear arguments in a case about transgender high school boy Gavin Grimm, whose Virginia school board wouldn't allow him to use the bathroom that matched his gender identity.
A simple hashtag might seem like an unlikely weapon in this fight, but #EveryoneWelcome has something unique going for it.
"There's a sleeping giant of people who really believe in treating each other fairly."
Last year, as the Massachusetts legislature considered banning discrimination against transgender people in public accommodations, #EveryoneWelcome became a rallying cry in support of the bill. Boston's major sports teams backed it, as did companies like Google, Cisco and Facebook. Celebrities, including the Transparentcast and Bruins star Patrice Bergeron, recorded supportive videos. The bill became law last July.
Now #EveryoneWelcome is being revived as a national campaign, with participation from organizations that support rights for LGBTQ people, including Freedom for All Americans, GLAAD, Trans Latin@ Coalition and Trans People of Color Coalition.
"The point of this campaign is to showcase the broad and deep support that we know we have in order to make the case to policymakers currently attacking transgender people that they’re off the pulse, and not doing what the majority want them to be doing," said Kasey Suffredini, chief program officer of Freedom for All Americans.
A Pew Research Center poll conducted last year found that a slim majority of Americans support access to bathrooms based on one's gender identity. A much smaller PRRI poll found that 72 percent of people favor laws that protect LGBTQ people from discrimination in jobs, public accommodations and housing.
"Our supporters are just realizing how important it is for them to step out and speak up," Suffredini said. "There's a sleeping giant of people who really believe in treating each other fairly, just looking for an opportunity or way to speak out."
If #EveryoneWelcome is as successful as Suffredini hopes, it may well become a powerful tool in the historic fight for transgender rights.
Topics Activism LGBTQ Social Good Social Media Politics
A guide to living off of the gridTwitter teases new privacy features (which actually sound great)What 'ShangThe mystery of the guy with 2 phones behind selfie kid at the Super BowlBest Cinderella movie adaptations, rankedHow to download Twitter videos'Ted Lasso' actor hilariously responds to the 'CGI' conspiracy theory'The Transgender Issue': Read an extract from Shon Faye’s powerful bookThe mystery of the guy with 2 phones behind selfie kid at the Super BowlJoe Biden signed a Joe Biden meme because he's Joe freakin' BidenJennifer Lawrence led her fellow plane passengers in an Eagles chantFirefighters rescue a dog stuck on a frozen river with incredible scooching skillsChoose your 'The Matrix Resurrections' teaser trailer: Red, or blue?Google shares first teaser video for Pixel 6Cheering for the Eagles and hating on Trump went hand in hand last nightAll of the Kardashian/Jenner family baby names, rankedTributes pour in for 'The Wire' star Michael K. WilliamsThe first 'Dune' reviews are up. Here's what critics have to say.The mystery of the guy with 2 phones behind selfie kid at the Super BowlHow does an air fryer work? Best Black Friday deals at Best Buy: TVs, laptops, headphones, and more Staff Picks: Cats, Combat, Conversationalists X advertisers that have reportedly pulled ads recently: See the list How Boygenius went from indie supergroup to internet darlings Cooking with Barbara Pym Our Town: An Interview with Adam Gopnik by Lesley M.M. Blume The 'film Twitter take generator' isn't an AI. That's why it's so good. The Alchemy of November Redux: Maya Angelou, Denis Johnson, and James Schuyler by The Paris Review Racy Public Art Exposes Paris’s Invisible Borders Eternal Friendship: An Unlikely Cold War Connection by Anouk Durand Wordle today: The answer and hints for November 20 The Hollywood Darling Who Tanked His Career to Combat Anti Evil, “Venerable,” and Otherwise: An Interview with Barbet Schroeder Staff Picks: Millepied, Monk, and McPhee Wordle today: The answer and hints for November 18 The Screen of Enamoration: Love in the Age of Google by Alfie Bown Ghost Club: Yeats’s and Dickens’s Secret Society of Spirits The Laws of Simple Sentences by Jeff Dolven What 'Coyote vs. Acme' has in common with 'Scott Pilgrim Takes Off'
1.9657s , 8286.1796875 kb
Copyright © 2025 Powered by 【eroticism meaning】,Unobstructed Information Network