In celebration of Transgender Day of Visibility, New Mexico State University hosted multiple events to celebrate and support members of the LGBTQ+ community while people gathered to listen to speakers and presentations in the front half of the space on March 31. Many students, faculty members, and community members attended to experience their community, bond over shared experiences, and learn.
Learning, according to Adrien Lawyer, was the entire point of this gathering.
“Just being trans doesn’t mean you know how to talk about this without being harmful to other trans people,” Lawyer said. “We are so often framing our stories on what bad is being done to us. We have to show folks that we’re not just sob stories.”
His presentation touched on the concepts of rurality not equaling conservatism, how toxic masculinity or toxic femininity can hinder the image of what being trans or nonbinary is, as well as how to share personal experiences when speaking in public without losing your message. In addition, Lawyer proved that positive and meaningful change is entirely possible through statistics, showing the amount of support pro-trans legislature has received in the past few years, and the numbers only keep rising from here.
(Corey Preston)
While these discussions and events were planned and prepared prior to the event, many of the students and staff found it extremely important that the event went smoothly, considering the legislature that had passed earlier that morning.
In 2019, the Supreme Court’s Chiles v. Salazar banned conversion therapy in the state of Colorado. The morning of March 31, 2026, the Supreme Court had an 8-1 ruling that banning conversion therapy for minors was a violation of the First Amendment right to free speech for licensed therapists, thus reversing the act. Because of this, many people at the event were searching for a sense of community and caring after hearing about such a huge loss for LGBTQ+ people in Colorado.
Kat Sanchez, a representative with Bold Futures, a statewide reproductive justice organization dedicated to fighting for the reproductive rights of all people in New Mexico, spoke on that topic.
“It’s important for [LGBTQ+] communities to be visible, especially in a time like today, where the Supreme Court decided that against a Colorado law that banned conversion therapy,” Sanchez said. “So we need the visibility, and for people to know, especially the younger generations, that we’re still learning stuff. It’s okay. You’re going to be okay.”
Sanchez was also quick to thank NMSU for hosting Transgender Day of Visibility, and for progressing their views on the topic of trans individuals after hosting Matt Walsh, a right–wing, anti-trans political commentator and author, back in April of 2023.
“I think community showed up then, and they’re showing up now, and I’m just appreciative that NMSU and the other folks that put this on allowed for a variety of organizations to be here and showcase the work that they, so that NMSU folks know that campus isn’t their only outlet. There’s outlets in the community that are there for them,” Sanchez said.
Carnel Raine with Trans and Queer Block Party shared the same sentiment about community, particularly highlighting its importance in current times, specifically highlighting the recent “attacks” on transgender and other LGBTQ+ people.
“It’s just good to understand that people have a place, and they have a community, and they’re able to build friendships and relationships with people like them,” Raine said. “We’re all going to get through it, and we’re going to stop on the other side. People aren’t alone as much as they think they are.”
(Corey Preston)
Many of the other organizations, such as Alianza, Planned Parenthood, Rainbow Connections, and Singing Out Las Cruces, felt that sense of community and hope despite the loss in Colorado. They thought it very important to advertise and enhance that feeling to the students of NMSU, who may have been feeling hopeless when it comes to recent administrative decisions and hate-speech on social media.
A student, Marisa Worsley, voiced her appreciation for the events for Transgender Day of Visibility.
“I think it’s really important to show up to queer events in our community, especially now. It can feel like the world is against us at times – especially online,” Worsley said. “There’s so much ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ everywhere and sometimes we just have to anchor ourselves by surrounding ourselves with other queer people in our community. To remind ourselves we’re not alone.”
