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“Transgender Day of Remembrance 2025: We Remember, We Resist, We Rebuild”

“Transgender Day of Remembrance 2025: We Remember, We Resist, We Rebuild”

By Rev. Paula Josephine Sadler, Founding Minister, Universal Rainbow Faith

1. Why This Year Hurts So Much

Transgender Day of Remembrance is always holy and heavy.

But TDOR 2025 lands in a uniquely painful moment:

  • Hundreds of anti-LGBTQ+ bills—most of them targeting transgender people—have been introduced across U.S. state legislatures this year alone. Human Rights Campaign+3American Civil Liberties Union+319th News+3

  • A coordinated political project is working to ban gender-affirming healthcare, erase our visibility in schools and public life, and paint our existence as a “threat” instead of a blessing. A4TE+2KFF+2

  • Under the current Trump administration, federal policy and rhetoric have escalated attacks on trans youth and adults—describing gender-affirming care as “chemical and surgical mutilation” and threatening funding for hospitals that provide it. The Guardian+2American Civil Liberties Union+2

In this climate, remembering our dead is not abstract. It is a warning and a summons.

At Universal Rainbow Faith (URF), we proclaim:

Every transgender, non-binary, and gender-expansive soul is a living image of the Divine.Your body, your gender, and your healthcare are sacred.

Today we mourn.Today we name the harm.And today we also recommit: we will not hand our money, our silence, or our spiritual energy to those who are trying to erase us.

2. The Machinery of Harm: Trump, MAGA, and the Anti-Trans Industry

This devastation is not random. It is organized.

Political leaders & movements

  • The Trump administration has pledged to roll back protections for transgender students “on day one,” and has already moved against trans healthcare, school protections, and federal DEI efforts. American Civil Liberties Union+2GLAAD+2

  • MAGA-aligned GOP lawmakers in many states are driving bans on gender-affirming care, bathroom restrictions, sports bans, and book bans targeting LGBTQ+ content. Trans Legislation Tracker+219th News+2

Anti-trans advocacy networks

A set of well-funded organizations actively works to criminalize trans healthcare, restrict civil rights, and reshape the law:

  • Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) – drafts model legislation to ban transgender healthcare and litigates against trans students and workers. GLAAD+1

  • Heritage Foundation – promotes anti-trans policy frameworks like Promise to America’s Children, opposing the Equality Act and trans-inclusive protections. Political Research Associates+3The Heritage Foundation+3The Heritage Foundation+3

  • Family Policy Alliance – co-leads Promise to America’s Children and campaigns against gender-affirming care and LGBTQ+ inclusive education. Family Policy Alliance+1

  • American Family Association & related entities (e.g., One Million Moms) – long history of anti-LGBTQ+ organizing and boycotts of companies that support equality. PFLAG

  • Consumers’ Research and similar “anti-woke” groups – spend millions attacking companies and hospitals for supporting DEI, trans-inclusive policies, and gender-affirming care. Monitoring Influence+2ABC News+2

Investigations have also shown that fossil fuel–aligned billionaires and foundations are bankrolling many of these anti-trans groups, connecting attacks on our bodies to broader struggles over power, climate, and control. Atmos

This is not just “culture war.”It is a coordinated, well-funded attempt to erase transgender life from public space, law, and healthcare.

3. Economic Discernment: Where Not to Send Your Money

URF’s stance is spiritual, not partisan:

If your money strengthens the machinery that harms trans people, you have a sacred right and responsibility to change where that money goes.

A. Organizations & figures to spiritually and financially disengage from

Universal Rainbow Faith urges people of conscience to withhold donations, platforms, and endorsement from:

We also name the Trump / MAGA political project and GOP-led legislative efforts that seek to criminalize or ban gender-affirming care, restrict trans people from public life, and roll back DEI in every sector. The Guardian+319th News+3KFF+3

URF does not call for hatred or harassment of any person.We call for firm, nonviolent withdrawal of spiritual, social, and financial support from policies and institutions that attack our sacred right to exist.

B. Corporations whose political giving has supported anti-LGBTQ+ lawmakers

Several investigative reports have documented major U.S. corporations donating millions of dollars to politicians sponsoring anti-LGBTQ+ and anti-trans legislation, even while those same companies sometimes march in Pride or display rainbow branding. Them+6OpenSecrets+6OpenSecrets+6

These reports have named, among others:

  • AT&T

  • Comcast / NBCUniversal

  • Toyota

  • UPS

  • Amazon

  • And other large corporations whose PACs have funded lawmakers pushing anti-LGBTQ+ bills.

We also see companies like Target and Tractor Supply scaling back Pride, DEI commitments, or ties with LGBTQ+ organizations under right-wing pressure. The Guardian+1

URF’s guidance:

  • Learn: Check resources like OpenSecrets, investigative journalism, and community advocacy reports before making big purchases or investments. Them+3OpenSecrets+3OpenSecrets+3

  • Discern: If a company’s political spending actively harms trans people, consider redirecting your money toward more aligned businesses.

  • Communicate: Let companies know why you’re changing your habits—so they understand that trans lives and ethics matter more than short-term profit.

This is not a complete boycott list, but a spiritual framework:

Follow the money, align it with your values, and refuse to subsidize your own oppression.

4. Where to Send Your Love and Money Instead

There is also a massive, courageous movement fighting for transgender life, dignity, and joy.

A. Organizations to uplift, share, and support

URF encourages support for organizations such as:

  • Lambda Legal – litigates key LGBTQ+ and trans civil rights cases nationwide; recently dramatically surpassed its fundraising goal specifically to meet this moment of escalating legislative attacks. AP News

  • ACLU (LGBTQ & HIV Project) – challenges bans on gender-affirming care and anti-trans laws in courts across the country. American Civil Liberties Union+2American Civil Liberties Union+2

  • Transgender Law Center, National Center for Transgender Equality, local trans-led groups – provide legal support, policy advocacy, and direct community aid. A4TE+1

You can also support LGBTQ+ community clinics, mutual aid funds, and local shelter or housing programs that explicitly affirm transgender people and provide practical care.

B. Companies and brands that are actively LGBTQ+ and trans-supportive

According to the Human Rights Campaign’s 2025 Corporate Equality Index, a record 765 major U.S. businesses earned a perfect score for LGBTQ+ inclusive policies, including explicit protections for gender identity, trans-inclusive healthcare benefits, and workplace practices. HRC Reports+3Human Rights Campaign+3HRC Reports+3

Examples of companies publicly recognized for strong LGBTQ+ inclusion and top CEI scores include:

URF invites you to:

  • Prioritize companies with strong, verified LGBTQ+ and trans-inclusive policies, not just rainbow logos in June.

  • Look for trans-affirming health benefits, non-discrimination protections, and public advocacy as signs a company is aligning with sacred justice—even in the face of backlash. AP News+1

5. States That Are Safer for Transgender Adults and Children

No state is “perfect,” but some have built far stronger legal protections and healthcare safeguards for transgender people.

According to the Human Rights Campaign’s State Equality Index (2024–25), the following states (plus Washington, D.C.) are in the highest category, “Working Toward Innovative Equality”—with comprehensive non-discrimination laws, stronger school protections, and better access to trans-inclusive healthcare: HRC Reports+3Human Rights Campaign+3Human Rights Campaign+3

California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Nevada, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, and Washington, D.C.

Many of these states also have “shield” or “refuge” laws that protect access to gender-affirming care and attempt to shield patients, families, and providers from hostile out-of-state prosecutions. Williams Institute+3LGBT Map+3KFF+3

If you are considering relocation or medical travel, these resources can help you discern safer options. They are not a substitute for legal advice, but they are a starting point for holy, practical survival planning.

6. A Prayer of Strength, Memory, and Holy Defiance

Beloved Source of Rainbow Light,

On this Transgender Day of Remembrance,we bring before You the names we knowand the countless names we will never hear.

We remember every sister, brother, and siblingtaken by violence, hatred, neglect, and despair.We remember those killed by policies,by denied healthcare,by families who turned away,and by systems that chose cruelty over compassion.

Wrap them in radiant peace.Let them be honored, not forgotten.

Strengthen every transgender soul living today—especially our youth, our elders,our disabled, Black, Brown, Indigenous,poor, undocumented, and sex-working kin—those who carry the heaviest burdens.

We call in holy courageto stand against presidents, parties, corporations, and churchesthat deny our sacred right to exist.

We call in holy clarityto follow the money,to stop funding our own oppression,and to move our resources toward healing and liberation.

We call in holy protectionfor every clinic, therapist, doctor, teacher, parent,and ally who chooses love over fearand affirming care over political intimidation.

May Universal Rainbow Faith and every affirming communitybecome a refuge of safety, truth, and celebrationwhere transgender people do not just survive—we thrive, shine, lead, and teach.

We dedicate our grief to action,our rage to righteous nonviolence,our fear to deeper faith,and our love to the building of a worldwhere no one ever again has to diebecause they were brave enough to be themselves.

So may it be,and so may we help make it so.Amen. Aho. And so it is.

7. What URF Invites You to Do Next

As Universal Rainbow Faith, we commit to:

  1. Naming the harm clearly – including Trump, MAGA, and the anti-trans advocacy networks working to criminalize our bodies and care.

  2. Teaching economic discernment – encouraging our community to stop funding groups and corporations that fuel anti-trans laws, and to consciously support those that uplift us.

  3. Providing spiritual refuge – through worship, prayer, education, mutual aid, and pastoral care for transgender people and families.

  4. Advocating publicly – for trans-affirming healthcare, workplace protections, and safe states and cities for our community.

  5. Honoring our dead by protecting the living – turning remembrance into action.


🔎 Known Actors / Entities Documented as Anti-Trans or Problematic

Organizations & Advocacy Groups

  • Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) — a major legal/policy group promoting “religious liberty” laws; long criticized by LGBTQ+ advocates for backing anti-trans legislation and court cases. The Guardian+1

  • Organizations behind “Project 2025” — a conservative campaign coordinating anti-LGBTQI policies, including targeting transgender rights across healthcare, education, public life. House Equality Caucus+1

  • State legislatures / lawmakers in multiple states (especially those with recent anti-trans bills) — anti-trans efforts are currently being pushed through at state and local level as much as national. Trans Legislation Tracker+219th News+2

⚠️ Note: Because bills and sponsors vary by state and session, the “list of lawmakers” changes rapidly. For specifics, tracking tools like the Trans Legislation Tracker provide up-to-date info. Trans Legislation Tracker

🏢 Companies & Corporations With Documented Anti-LGBTQ or Unreliable Support Records

Some large U.S. corporations which — despite Pride-month branding — have donated to anti-LGBTQ / anti-trans politicians or rolled back DEI/inclusion policies:

Company

What’s problematic / Known issues

AT&T

Has donated millions over years to politicians and PACs backing anti-LGBTQ / anti-trans legislation despite public LGBTQ-friendly branding. popular.info+2Forbes+2

Comcast / NBCUniversal

Similarly documented as contributing large amounts to anti-LGBTQ political actors. Them+1

Walmart

Listed among major companies whose political giving supported anti-LGBTQ candidates or legislators. The Guardian+1

UPS

Appears on lists of corporations with documented giving to anti-LGBTQ politicians. Forbes+1

Home Depot

Also listed among companies whose PAC donations have supported anti-gay politicians. Forbes+1

Other companies that have scaled back DEI / LGBTQ support recently — such as some large retailers, manufacturers, and service providers. Them+2Forbes+2


Additionally:

  • Some donor-advised funds (which many people use for charitable giving) have been reported to give money to anti-LGBTQ / anti-trans “hate groups.” unclosetedmedia.com

  • Organizations, institutions, or companies that have publicly rolled back DEI (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion) programs — in 2025, a growing number of corporations have done this under political and public pressure. Advocate.com+2Forbes+2

⚠️ Why “Brands with Rainbows” Aren’t Always Safe

  • In many cases, companies publicly celebrated Pride or marketed as “queer-friendly,” but behind the scenes still fund anti-LGBTQ+ lawmakers. popular.info+2OpenSecrets+2

  • Some have even donated to campaigns that resulted in bans of trans youth care, bathroom bills, or anti-trans laws — meaning their money helped criminalize or erase transgender existence. 19th News+2LGBTQ Nation+2

  • As of 2025, a growing number of companies are quietly scaling back or ending DEI and inclusive-policy commitments, regardless of past public support for LGBTQ+ rights. Forbes+2Them+2

Because of this, economic discernment becomes a spiritual and political act: where you spend, donate, and work matters.

✅ What You Can Do: Use This as a Discernment Tool

If you want to actively resist the harm and support trans justice:

  • Avoid or reduce patronage of companies with significant ties (donations, PAC funding, corporate policy shifts) to anti-trans legislation or lawmakers.

  • Research companies’ political giving using public records, watchdog reports (OpenSecrets, Data for Progress, LGBTQ advocacy analyses).

  • Support trans-affirming organizations, small businesses, and community-run enterprises — especially trans-run or queer-owned.

  • Advocate for transparency — call out companies that brand themselves LGBTQ+ friendly while funding anti-trans politicians.


🧨 1. U.S. LAWMAKERS ACTIVELY SPONSORING OR SUPPORTING ANTI-TRANS LEGISLATION (2023–2025)

(State and federal level — based on public bill sponsorship, voting records, and committee work.)

A. Federal Lawmakers

These members of Congress have publicly supported, introduced, or co-sponsored anti-trans legislation or have taken formal action seeking to restrict gender-affirming care or transgender rights:

  • Marjorie Taylor Greene (GA) – Introduced federal bans on gender-affirming care and trans participation in sports.

  • Josh Hawley (MO) – Sponsored anti-trans amendments & legislation targeting Title IX protections.

  • Tom Cotton (AR) – Co-sponsored multiple bills restricting gender-affirming care.

  • Rand Paul (KY) – Led federal hearings attacking transgender medical care.

  • Jim Jordan (OH) – Chaired hearings targeting LGBTQ-inclusive school policies.

  • Ted Cruz (TX) – Repeated public campaigns against trans youth and medical care.

  • Mike Johnson (LA) – As Speaker, supported legislation restricting LGBTQ+ civil rights nationally.

  • Marco Rubio (FL) – Sponsored federal bills limiting trans military service & youth care.

Sources: Congressional bill databases, public legislative hearings, official congressional websites, CSPAN hearings, and documented federal bill histories.

B. State-Level Lawmakers (Representative List)

These legislators have authored, sponsored, or championed anti-trans bills, including healthcare bans, bathroom restrictions, and forced outing laws.

States with the highest number of anti-trans bills introduced recently include:Florida, Texas, Tennessee, Alabama, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Montana, Nebraska, Utah, Idaho, Louisiana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Kentucky, Missouri.

Representative lawmakers repeatedly associated with anti-trans legislation include:

  • Ron DeSantis (FL Governor) – Signed sweeping laws restricting medical care, school policy, bathroom use.

  • Greg Abbott (TX Governor) – Ordered state agencies to investigate parents of trans youth.

  • Sarah Huckabee Sanders (AR Governor) – Signed healthcare ban; ordered DEI dismantling.

  • Bill Lee (TN Governor) – Signed drag restrictions and trans sports bans.

  • Kiley, Stuckey, and various members of TX, FL, TN, MT legislatures who authored coordinated anti-trans bills.

Sources: Trans Legislation Tracker, ACLU anti-LGBTQ bill analysis, state legislative archives (2022–2025).

💰 2. BILLIONAIRES AND FOUNDATIONS FUNDING ANTI-LGBTQ+ / ANTI-TRANS ORGANIZATIONS

These individuals or families are publicly documented as donors or funders behind organizations that work to restrict LGBTQ+ and transgender rights:

A. Funders of Anti-LGBTQ+ Legal & Policy Groups

  • The DeVos family – Longtime funders of conservative Christian advocacy networks.

  • The Koch network – Funds think tanks that support anti-DEI and anti-LGBTQ regulations.

  • The Mercer family – Financial backers of far-right political movements opposing LGBTQ+ protections.

B. Philanthropic Foundations Funding Anti-Trans Organizations

  • Heritage Foundation donors – fund one of the largest intellectual engines of anti-trans legislation.

  • Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) donors – ADF is designated by LGBTQ groups as the top legal architect of anti-trans bills.

Sources: Public IRS 990 filings, OpenSecrets donor databases, investigative journalism by major outlets.

🔥 3. ORGANIZATIONS ACTIVELY WORKING TO ROLL BACK TRANSGENDER RIGHTS

These organizations are publicly on record promoting anti-trans policies, drafting model legislation, or litigating against trans rights:

Major National Organizations

  • Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) – Drafts anti-trans laws; litigates against trans students & healthcare.

  • Heritage Foundation – Runs national campaigns against gender-affirming care and trans-inclusive policies.

  • Family Policy Alliance – Coordinated national anti-trans bills (“Promise to America’s Children”).

  • American Family Association (AFA) – Major anti-LGBTQ group opposing trans equality.

  • Liberty Counsel – Litigates against trans-inclusive school and workplace policies.

  • Moms for Liberty – Promotes book bans, anti-trans school policies, forced outing rules.

Medical & Conversion-Affiliated Groups

  • American College of Pediatricians (ACPeds) – NOT the mainstream pediatric association; classified as anti-LGBTQ by medical groups.

Sources: SPLC designations, federal and state court filings, organization mission statements, public lobbying disclosures.

🏢 4. COMPANIES KNOWN TO HAVE SUPPORTED ANTI-LGBTQ+ POLITICIANS OR ROLLED BACK LGBTQ+ SUPPORT

These companies have been documented in news investigations as donating to anti-LGBTQ lawmakers or rolling back DEI commitments:

✔ Companies Whose PACs or Executives Donated to Anti-LGBTQ+ Lawmakers

(Source: Popular Information, OpenSecrets, Forbes, Them.us investigative reports)

  • AT&T

  • Comcast / NBCUniversal

  • Walmart

  • Home Depot

  • UPS

  • FedEx

  • General Motors

  • Chevron & other oil and gas PACs

  • ExxonMobil

  • American Airlines

✔ Companies That Have Recently Rolled Back LGBTQ+ or DEI Initiatives

(2023–2025 reporting)

  • Target – reduced Pride merchandise under political pressure.

  • Starbucks (2023–2024) – some stores reported rollback of Pride décor, though corporate disputes this.

  • Walmart (select operations) – reduced DEI initiatives.

  • Some major tech firms (Meta, Google, etc.) have scaled back DEI staffing due to political pressure and internal shifts.

Important note:A company appearing here does NOT mean it is “anti-gay” as a whole — it means its political spending, lobbying, or internal policy changes have aligned with anti-LGBTQ outcomes despite sometimes pro-LGBTQ branding.

🌈 5. COMPANIES AND ORGANIZATIONS THAT SUPPORT TRANSGENDER & LGBTQ+ RIGHTS

✔ Consistently LGBTQ+ Affirming (Human Rights Campaign CEI 100/100)

  • Apple

  • Microsoft

  • Google

  • Salesforce

  • Accenture

  • Nike

  • Levi’s

  • Target (historically; still LGBTQ-supportive at corporate level)

  • Disney

  • Netflix

  • Adobe

✔ Medical/Hospital Networks Supporting Gender-Affirming Care

  • Kaiser Permanente

  • Planned Parenthood

  • UCLA Health

  • Fenway Health

✔ LGBTQ+ Advocacy Groups

  • Lambda Legal

  • ACLU LGBTQ+ Project

  • Transgender Law Center

  • National Center for Transgender Equality

  • Human Rights Campaign

  • GLAAD

🏳️‍⚧️ 6. STATES CONSIDERED SAFEST FOR TRANSGENDER PEOPLE (Legal Protections + Shield Laws)

(HRC State Equality Index 2024–2025)

  • California

  • Colorado

  • Illinois

  • New York

  • New Jersey

  • New Mexico

  • Maryland

  • Massachusetts

  • Hawaii

  • Oregon

  • Washington

  • Maine

  • Minnesota

  • Nevada (your home state!)

  • Vermont

  • Rhode Island

  • Michigan

These states have:✔ Trans-inclusive healthcare protections✔ State nondiscrimination laws✔ “Refuge” protections for trans youth and families✔ Inclusive school laws



 
 
 

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