"These are Americans who have served with honor, with distinction, and with unshakable patriotism. Brave, honorable, and committed patriots, who have also dared to have the courage to say out loud that they are transgender."

"I worried that my dreams and my identity were mutually exclusive. Since then, I’ve seen change."

"Today in America, LGBTQ people are still targeted by hate that lives in both laws and hearts."

"This decision to remove proven patriots for no justification causes serious weakness to our force. It turns away proven courage."

"It is appalling that while families gathered under fireworks to honor that sacrifice, the Trump administration was all-too-quietly forcing out thousands of patriots from military service."

"These individuals met the same rigorous standards as their peers—the same physical exams, the same screenings, the same background checks. And in many cases, under intense scrutiny, they didn’t just meet those standards—they exceeded them."

"We have managed to break barriers or limits that no one thought transgender people would do on their own. It wasn't just about human rights but a desire to prove ourselves capable and doing the best we could. We were also able to redefine the word 'courage'."

"I don't think it represented the entire gamut of the conflict between transgender people and a few confused groups. There are millions of Kenyan Christians who respect me and the entire transgender struggle."

"The government is not responsive to the needs of transgender people and some of our families are hostile because "we embarrass" them with our gender change. Sexual exploitation is common. Poor and economically disadvantaged trans women are most vulnerable to sexual exploitation and violence."

"I like people for who they are, not because of their gender. I am not interested in the gender of my sex partners. I don't identify as bisexual, gay or lesbian. i just think sexual labels complicate matters of love and sex."

"Despite that, I am now a very happy woman. All my struggles have finally paid off, not only for me but I am able to assist tens of other ladyboys who are struggling with a similar predicament. i am their mother; they call me Mama T (Transgender)."

"Let’s start being kind to one another, because only when we join hands will the world become a better place for the both of us."

"This is my ideal relationship with a man: one where I'm riding him, and also ready to end his life."

"I have had friends who have taken their lives because of these bills ... When I rose up and said, 'There is blood on your hands,' I was not being hyperbolic."

"If you vote yes on this bill and yes on these amendments, I hope the next time there's an invocation when you bow your heads in prayer, you see the blood on your hands"

"It's not just about, you know, sort of putting "diverse people" in the same sort of corrupt systems. We have to change the way that power works. And so much of that is about, I believe, changing the material conditions of poor and working people, the people who are the most marginalized, and to get them, you know, opportunities to work in the industry behind the scenes, and then be truly elevated to positions of power."

"For me, it's always important to support other transgender people, to love and support each other. There's enough spotlight, there are enough resources to go around, so for me it's always about loving and supporting my trans siblings."

"The preoccupation with transition and surgery objectifies trans people. And then we don't get to really deal with the real lived experiences. The reality of trans people's lives is that so often we are targets of violence. We experience discrimination disproportionately to the rest of the community. Our unemployment rate is twice the national average; if you are a trans person of color, that rate is four times the national average. The homicide rate is highest among trans women. If we focus on transition, we don't actually get to talk about those things."

"Being uncomfortable does not mean that you are unsafe. Right? [...] For several years, it was all about bathrooms. Banning trans people from bathrooms, right? In the segregated South, white folks were not comfortable with black people in the bathroom with them. But did that mean that they were unsafe?"