Members of GLAAD staff joined hundreds of other supporters in coming out on Friday afternoon to downtown Manhattan in support of the annual Trans Day of Action. The event is hosted every year by TransJustice, a political group of the Audre Lorde Project. The Day of Action included rallies around Foley Square in Manhattan’s Financial District, a march in the surrounding area, and speak-outs by organizers of the project and members of the community. Some speakers celebrated the achievements that transgender, transsexual and gender non-conforming people and their allies have made recently. Others encouraged the audience to mobilize and take a stance against the discrimination that they continue to experience in so many different areas of their lives. Still other speakers took the time to mourn and remember loved ones they had recently lost.  Marchers chanted pleas to end hatred towards trans people and held signs that proclaimed messages such as “This is Not a Place for Hate” and “Trans Rights are Civil Rights.” The event began at 3 PM and lasted until about 6:30 PM, and was the seventh annual event of its kind. Despite the recent legislative gains for transgender people around the country this year, rallies like these are an important way to bring awareness to the rest of the community and create the cultural shift that is needed for equality. Transgender people still face some of the worst discrimination in the world and are misunderstood by both the mainstream and even much of the LGB community. TransJustice “works to mobilize its communities and allies into action on the pressing political issues they face,” in areas such as employment, housing, education, and health care. General meetings are held every second and third Saturday at the ALP’s Manhattan office at 147 West 24th Street on the 3rd floor. GLAAD thanks the Audre Lorde Project for hosting this amazing event and urges media to continue covering transgender issues in a fair, responsible way.