Vote!!! That’s the topic today. I know it can be a touchy subject, but now more than ever, our community needs to vote. Especially our transgender community.
Every day it seems like there’s something new — a new law, a new policy, or a new attempt to dehumanize transgender people. I’ll be honest: there have been times when I found myself avoiding the news and staying off social media just to escape the stress of it all. But turning away doesn’t make the problems disappear. The challenges are still there, and in many cases, they continue to grow.
That’s why we have to remember that our voices matter and our votes matter.
Sometimes I find myself wondering why we are still debating bathroom bills when there are so many pressing issues facing our communities. We have housing crises, healthcare concerns, rising costs of living, and increasing rates of HIV in some of our most vulnerable communities. Yet somehow, we continue to spend time and resources debating whether transgender people deserve to exist in public spaces.
But there is another issue that should have all of us paying attention: the continued cuts to HIV prevention funding.
For those of us who have dedicated our lives to HIV prevention, education, testing and care, these cuts feel like a slap in the face. Decades of work have gone into reducing new HIV infections, connecting people to care, and helping people live long and healthy lives. Entire communities fought, marched, advocated and even buried loved ones to get us to where we are today.
Now we are watching programs lose funding, organizations struggle to survive and services disappear. The people who suffer are not numbers on a spreadsheet. They are our friends, our neighbors, our community members and our loved ones.
When HIV prevention funding is cut, people lose access to testing. They lose access to prevention services. They lose support systems. Some lose access to medication and healthcare navigation. In many ways, they lose hope and dignity at the same time.
As someone who works in this field every day, I can tell you that these decisions have real consequences. They impact real people. They impact transgender women, Black communities, LGBTQ+ people and those already struggling to access healthcare.
This is exactly why voting matters.
The people making decisions about our healthcare, our rights, our funding and our futures are elected officials. If we don’t participate in the process, we leave those decisions in the hands of people who may not understand our communities — or worse, people who simply do not care.
Voting alone won’t solve every problem overnight, but it is one of the most powerful tools we have. It gives us an opportunity to hold elected officials accountable and support leaders who believe everyone deserves access to healthcare, housing, dignity and opportunity.
Real change doesn’t happen because we hope for it. It happens because people organize, educate, advocate and show up.
That means registering to vote. It means learning about candidates and issues. It means attending community meetings. It means supporting local grassroots organizations that are doing the hard work every day, often with very little funding and very few resources.
To my transgender siblings, I want to make a special request. Please do your part to help our community get to the polls. Check on one another. Share information. Offer rides if you can. Encourage those who may feel discouraged or disconnected from the process.
To our allies, we need you too. Stand with us. Vote with us. Speak up when you see injustice. Use your voice when ours are being ignored.
The future of our community will not be decided by the loudest voices spreading fear and misinformation. It will be decided by the people willing to take action.
So, my ask today is simple: do something.
Volunteer. Organize. Educate. Advocate. Support local organizations. Speak up when you see injustice. And when Election Day comes, show up and vote.
Doing nothing will not protect our rights. Doing nothing will not stop HIV. Doing nothing will not improve our communities. Doing nothing will not create the future we deserve.
But together? Together we can make our voices heard. Together we can build power. Together we can create change.
And it all starts with showing up.
Mulan Montrese Williams is the founder of Divas in Dialogue, a groundbreaking organization supporting the TLGB+ community but always putting the T first. Living authentically as a Black trans woman with 20 years of advocacy, Mulan has dedicated her life to uplifting her community through education, outreach and empowerment. She’s a force for change, proving every day that resilience and love can transform lives.
