November 20, 2025

“Trans Rights Are Human Rights”: Senator Markey Reaffirms Commitment to Trans Rights on Transgender Day of Remembrance

Washington (November 20, 2025) - Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), member of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, released the following statement today observing Transgender Day of Remembrance.

“On Transgender Day of Remembrance, we honor the transgender members of our community whose lives were cut short by hate, by policy failures, and by the vitriolic politics that Trump and MAGA Republicans have made central to their mission of attacking the most vulnerable members of society. We will continue to fight back against their all-out assaults on the trans community and fight for trans Americans to be afforded the same basic rights and dignity as everyone else in our country,” said Senator Markey. “Trans rights are human rights. I am steadfast in my commitment to protecting trans rights and standing by the trans community. No amount of hate and bigotry will shake that commitment and no amount of hate and bigotry can erase trans Americans. Taking away their access to gender-affirming care, targeting trans youth, and fueling attacks against them is hateful and cruel—we cannot and must not be silent. To the trans community, I see you, I love you, and I will always fight for you.”

Senator Markey has long been a staunch champion of LGBTQ+ rights:

Yesterday, Senator Markey introduced the Transgender Health Care Access Act, legislation that would protect and expand access to competent, compassionate, and affirming health care for transgender Americans.
On November 17, 2025, Senator Markey and Representative Robert Garcia (D-CA-42) reintroduced the bicameral International Human Rights Defense Act. This bill would direct the State Department to monitor and respond to violence against LGBTQ+ people worldwide, while creating a comprehensive plan to combat discrimination, criminalization, and hate-motivated attacks against LGBTQ+ communities. The bill would also formally establish a Special Envoy to coordinate LGBTQ+ policies across the State Department, a role that has been vacant under the Trump administration.
On June 18, 2025, Senator Markey slammed the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to uphold Tennessee’s law banning gender-affirming care for trans youth in United States v. Skrmetti.
On September 3, 2024, Senator Markey led 162 of his colleagues in submitting an amicus brief in United States v. Skrmetti urging the Court to strike down Tennessee’s ban on gender-affirming care for transgender youth.
On June 26, 2023, Senator Markey introduced the Gender-Affirming Care Access Research for Equity (CARE) Act that would authorize $25 million annually over five years for the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to research barriers to gender-affirming care and the impacts of these barriers.
On March 30, 2023, Senator Markey introduced the Transgender Bill of Rights, a landmark resolution to protect the rights of transgender and nonbinary people by ensuring trans people have access to medical care, shelter, safety, and economic security. On March 31, 2023, Senator Markey led colleagues in a letter to President Biden urging him to protect transgender Americans and expand access to gender-affirming care.

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