Katherine Clark: “Ahead of Trans Day of Visibility, I rise in honor of a community that is being forced to fight for its very existence. I…”

“Ahead of Trans Day of Visibility, I rise in honor of a community that is being forced to fight for its very existence. I rise in honor of trans voices that deserve to be heard, not silenced and not criminalized. I rise in honor of trans joy that deserves to be celebrated, not eradicated. I rise with unconditional love for my trans daughter, Riley. I rise in solidarity with every trans American seeking nothing less than their inalienable right to the pursuit of happiness. To stand in the way of that right is to stand against our most basic American values, but that is exactly what MAGA extremists are doing across this country--on school boards, in State capitals, and here in the Halls of Congress. Elected officials are using their power to undermine the freedoms and human dignity of trans Americans, and they are waging an especially vicious crusade on our kids. These attacks make me all the more grateful for the unconditional love that Mimi and Joe Lemay of Massachusetts have for their son, Jacob. Mimi and Joe have faced vitriol and cruelty from rightwing extremists, all because they heard, accepted, and embraced Jacob when he told them he is a boy. A few years ago, Mimi shared a letter she wrote to her son, and I would like to offer a few of her moving words: ``You have at the age of 9 years accomplished what many adults couldn't in a lifetime. In your courageous visibility, you have changed the course of your own history.…”