Hillary Clinton has made it clear that she is a friend of the LGBTQ community, explicitlystating that she supports the Equality Act, and that “we need much more support for [LGBTQ individuals].”
And yesterday, she voiced that support yet again in a very personal message to one transgender woman. Pearl Love, a social worker in New York City, was verbally harassed and physically assaulted on the subway earlier this week, and posted a video of the experience on Facebook. Pearl explained that she was sitting on the train, and a woman began to verbally abuse her and make comments “about how much she hate[s] Trans[gender] people,” and eventually started hitting Pearl. “As you can see it’s definitely a hate crime,” Pearl wrote on Facebook. “She attacked me inside the train. When I retreated she threw all my stuff on the floor and chased me around the train and say she is going to find a stick to hit me. It was a crowded train and everyone heard it but no one helped me.”
Pearl’s story went viral, and when Clinton caught wind of it, she posted a comment speaking directly to Pearl. “Pearl, I’m so sorry that you experienced this,” Clinton wrote. “The all-too-high prevalence of violence and hatred faced by the transgender community — today, in 2016! — is a rebuke to all of us. Every single person deserves to be safe and live free from discrimination and cruelty, period. And transgender people need to hear from every one of us that you are loved, respected, and deserving of equality under the law. Know that you have my support, and I’m on your side.”
Pearl responded to Clinton’s comment on Facebook, writing, “OMG, Yes. I feel loved, My Dear friends, thanks for all support,” and later told Mic that she was surprised by the attention her story and Facebook post garnered. “I didn’t know that it was that serious until people told me, because I’ve gotten used to it,” she said. “I thought, ‘Oh, it was just another woman.’ I didn’t know until people told me that it was not right, that it was assault because it’s happened for so long.”
It’s the sad reality of so many transgender individuals who face violence and discriminationregularly. It’s an epidemic, which is why it’s so important that our lawmakers and leaders take action to protect this community and end discrimination — and Clinton seems set on doing so. “We should ban discrimination against LGBT[Q] Americans and their families so they can live, learn, marry, and work just like everybody else,” she is quoted as saying on her website, where she also shares her full plan for LGBTQ equality.
And, hopefully, as part of that initiative and message, we can also end hateful and hurtful crimes like the one Pearl — and so many others — experienced.
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