President Donald Trump has singled out the transgender community, including in his address Tuesday to a joint session of Congress.
He has signed an executive order to withhold federal funding from hospitals that provide gender-affirming care. A judge temporarily blocked the administration's plan on Tuesday while a legal fight plays out.
In Hawaiʻi, a bill introduced this session would have expanded the protections afforded to gender-affirming care. Haylin Dennison is a licensed clinical social worker who testified in support of Senate Bill 1150. However, the measure was deferred.
"Hawaiʻi is supposed to be a progressive state. Hawaiʻi's supposed to be built on aloha and inclusivity. And I just believe that Hawaiʻi really needs to stand up for the people that have always been here, including māhū and including trans people," she said.
Dennison is the executive director of a mental health clinic for youth called Spill The Tea Cafe. She said that the majority of young people they serve are queer.
"I think the biggest blessing is to see these kids come in and then see them thrive. Of course, they're coming in and a lot of times they have problems... It's just so rewarding to see them thriving and see them once they can accept themselves," she said. "If you truly imagine like being trans, that's a really hard thing to deal with as a kiddo and I can kind of understand when they get tired, exhausted, and then maybe even suicidal because it just never ends, like the bullying."
She is also the parent of a transgender child and shared that it took her a while to be supportive.
"I was really able to transform. I was able to listen to my kid. I was able to get my own therapy, get my own education around about what it meant to be a supportive parent, and when I understood that — that's the best thing I could do for my kid. If I want my kid to have a bright future, if I want to feel confident, if I want to kind of get rid of that fear, then I needed to learn how to be supportive," she said.
Dennison emphasized that it is important for the queer community to come together and keep fighting in these times of uncertainty.
"If we band together and we all do something, we are going to still win this fight. And I'm very, very hopeful and confident about that because this community is so strong. They've been here forever. They're still here. They're not going anywhere," she said.
This interview aired on The Conversation on March 5, 2025. The Conversation airs weekdays at 11 a.m.
