Black activist gives blistering speech in support of her ‘trans sisters’: ‘It’s time for us to stand in solidarity’
Activist Kimiya Factory gives blistering speech in support of her ‘trans sisters’ (TikTok/Equality Texas)
Activist Kimiya Factory gives blistering speech in support of her 'trans sisters' (TikTok/Equality Texas)
Racial justice advocate Kimiya Factory has given a powerful and rousing speech against a proposed anti-trans bathroom bill in Texas, claiming it is time to “stand in solidarity” with the trans community in the face of anti-LGBTQ+ laws.
Factory, together with Equality Texas, delivered the speech to not only protest the proposed bill – which would mean all bathrooms, changing rooms and domestic violence refuges in the state could be designated by biological sex, and would also disallow gender-neutral bathrooms – but also to call on cis women to extend solidarity to their “trans siblings”.
“My rights are being stripped away from me, not by trans women in the bathroom stalls… but in violent House sessions at mahogany wood tables by white, cisgender lawmakers,” the activist and founder of Black Freedom Factory said in the speech on Wednesday (30 July).
She added: “Trans folks have been at the front of Black Lives Matter protests, have been at the front of pro-immigration – it is time for us to stand in our privilege the way that trans folks have stood for us for centuries.”
Factory added that she would “embrace trans women in a tight hug” and thank them for “living in their truth”.
Factory was among other Black activists gathered at the Texas State Capitol on Wednesday to protest the bill, with attendees drawing parallels between trans bathroom bans and racist, Jim Crow-era segregation laws.
Verniss McFarland III of the Mahogany Project, which provides support services to trans and non-binary people in Houston, Texas, said in a speech: “Not long ago, bathrooms were marked white and coloured. Today, lawmakers are considering legislation that would prohibit transgender persons from using cisgendered bathrooms. Tell me how this is any different?
“This is not about safety or privacy. It’s about telling transgender people where they are in the hierarchy,” McFarland added.
Texas has broken records for the number of anti-trans bills introduced since the 2025 legislative session began, with the Trans Legislation Tracker currently monitoring 134 proposed bills in the state.
The website is currently charting the progress of 965 anti-trans bills across 49 states, with Vermont the only state in the US which has not introduced an anti-trans bill in 2025. Of the 965 bills, 121 have passed, and 646 have been defeated.
Share your thoughts! Let us know in the comments below, and remember to keep the conversation respectful.
