Dozens of transgender children and youth from across the country gathered in Washington, D.C., Monday for a prom celebrating trans lives. The prom was held on the National Mall near the Capitol as anti-LGBTQ attacks intensify nationwide. This is trans activist Chase Strangio, a staff attorney at the ACLU and one of the organizers of the action.

Chase Strangio: “These young people are here with the families and trans adults who love and care for them. Today we are choosing to build on the legacies of our transcestors, embracing the possibilities of our futures and refocusing our collective imagination on the freedom, beauty and joy that we represent. Our joy is ours. You may not see it. You may not think it exists. You may try to take it away. But it is ours. And today, and every day, we celebrate, cultivate and embrace it.”