Democrat senator to keynote LGBT luncheon honoring advocates of gender transitioning for children

Wisconsin Democrat Sen. Tammy Baldwin is set to be honored by an LGBTQ+ group and speak alongside transgender activists who have lobbied for children accessing puberty blockers and against restricting bathroom use for transgender individuals.

Baldwin, the first openly gay U.S. senator, who is up for re-election in 2024, is scheduled to appear at a Saturday fall luncheon in Dallas, Texas, organized by the Human Rights Campaign, where they will celebrate the "trailblazer" who "shattered glass ceilings" as the first LGBTQ+ senator.

The event, which will include mimosas, coffee and lunch for participants, will feature Baldwin as the keynote speaker. The Wisconsin Democrat is in a lineup with advocates who have taken controversial stances on transgender bills and issues. 

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According to the invitation, its other speakers will include Rachel and Frank Gonzales, who are outspoken Dallas-area transgender advocates who have received plenty of local press for their activism. 

For example, in 2017, the Texas Tribune profiled the family in a fight involving restricting transgender people's bathroom usage. The publication said the Gonzales family had routinely shown up before lawmakers with their transgender daughter, who at the time was seven years old.

In a May Texas Tribune article about LGBTQ+ advocates being removed from the Capitol after clashing with GOP lawmakers, the Gonzales family were again mentioned.

That time, the family attended to lobby against a bill that would ban children's access to puberty blockers and hormone therapy. The transgender advocates in attendance argued that if the bill were to pass, they would have to move or travel outside of Texas for their children to "get the care they need."

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"There are so many layers to what it would look like to have to up and move, aside from the pretty significant financial impact to our family," Rachel Gonzales told the Tribune of the bill. "I have three kids who are deeply rooted in the community and our schools and our neighborhood. . . . These people around us are our chosen family."

The family had spent days advocating for their transgender daughter and other youth with attempted pitches to lawmakers. 

When questioned on Baldwin speaking alongside the transgender youth advocates, a spokesperson for the senator said that she will "always stand up for LGBTQ+ kids’ freedom to just be kids, play sports and get the health care they need, all without being bullied or discriminated against."

The Human Rights Campaign, the organizer of the Baldwin event, is a left-wing LGBTQ+ advocacy group that has launched a Trans Justice Initiative to work with advocates nationwide.

"The transgender community is beautiful, strong and one of the most resilient in the LGBTQ+ community," its mission statement reads. "HRC's Transgender Justice Initiative works with community-based advocates across the country to make impactful changes for trans people. Together we combat stigma and discrimination, help end trans violence and HIV, promote sexual health and equity, and provide access to work opportunities, professional development and education."

Earlier this year, Baldwin attended a San Francisco fundraiser hosted by a left-wing politician who supports the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence and critical race theory (CRT), has a history of anti-police rhetoric and believes that "white supremacy" has a "stranglehold" on society.