Thousands of people across the country rallied in solidarity to support black trans-rights, Sunday.  

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Black transgender activist Raquel Willis explained the movement to CNN in an interview: "This collective of folks is particularly powerful because it's modeling what is possible when you do have allies and folks who do care and also want to make sure that they're building something that speaks to the hearts of the actual people that they're representing," she said. "So often that doesn't happen." 

Willis led the crowd in New York City in a chant during the protest saying "I believe in my power," while the crowd echoed the words back. "I believe in your power. I believe in our power. I believe in black trans power."

Melania Brown, the sister of Layleen Xtravaganza Cubilette-Polanco, a black transgender inmate at Rikers Island who died last year, spoke to the same crowd as well.

"Black trans lives matter," she said. "My sister's life mattered. All of the loved ones we have lost, all of these beautiful girls that we have lost. There lives matter. We have to protect them."

"We can't just talk about trans people when they're dying," Eliel Cruz, one of the co-organizers of the event, explained to CNN. "But what are we doing actively and intentionally to create space for them to be safe and well?"

Daniel Radcliffe, the actor who portrayed Harry Potter in the celebrated films, recently came forward to speak about transgender women. His comments were prompted by Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling, as she found herself in the midst of controversy following a few remarks she made about being transgender. The public believed Rowling was saying that trans women weren't real women because they couldn't do what biological women could, as well as other remarks, sparking accusations that Rowling was transphobic.

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On Wednesday, J.K. Rowling returned with an over 3,000-word essay about her stance on trans people and while she's received quite a bit of hate mail over the years because of her views, she's not backing down from her position. "I want trans women to be safe. At the same time, I do not want to make natal girls and women less safe," she wrote. "I believe the majority of trans-identified people not only pose zero threat to others, but are vulnerable for all the reasons I've outlined."

"I'm mentioning these things now not in an attempt to garner sympathy, but out of solidarity with the huge numbers of women who have histories like mine, who've been slurred as bigots for having concerns around single-sex spaces," Rowling added. Later, Emma Watson, the actress who played Hermoine Granger in Harry Potter, tweeted, "Trans people are who they say they are and deserve to live their lives without being constantly questioned or told they aren’t who they say they are."

J.K. Rowling, author of the book-series Harry Potter, is under fire on Twitter for posts that fans have labeled as anti-trans.

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The author posted the link to an article titled "Opinion: Creating a more equal post-COVID-19 world for people who menstruate," with the caption, "‘People who menstruate.’ I’m sure there used to be a word for those people. Someone help me out. Wumben? Wimpund? Woomud?"

When people say Black Lives Matter, they mean all Black Lives. Male Black Lives Matter. Female Black Lives Matter. Straight Black Lives Matter. Gay Black Lives Matter. Trans Black Lives also Matter.

The attack of Iyanna Dior, a black trans woman, is appalling to watch and it speaks to the exact reason why we are protesting. She was brutally attacked inside of a convenience store by a mob of 20-to-30 cisgender men calling her transphobic slurs and throwing punches. Dior was able to escape behind the shop counter before eventually finding safety through the back door. 

Ever since they shared that Zaya Wade was transitioning from male to female at 12-years-old, parents Dwyane Wade and Gabrielle Union have faced backlash. They’ve been criticized for supporting Zaya during this time, but the LGBTQIA+ community have stood by their side. Dwyane and Gabrielle have been applauded for how they’ve accepted Zaya, and during a recent chat with Ellen DeGeneres, the actress talked about how it’s strange for her to be praised for something she says parents should do, anyway.

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“To us, it’s a little odd to get any kind of recognition for doing what you’re supposed to do, which is love, and accept, and embrace your kids,” Gabrielle Union said. “So it’s odd to get recognition for that. Unfortunately, there are so many people who just don’t.” She added, “[There are] so many people who really truly feel like their kids are disposable. If they’re not perfect images of them, they’re not interested. And it’s heartbreaking. So we’re just doing what is natural to us, and loving her.”

Later, in another interview, Gabrielle gave advice to parents raising an LGBTQIA+ child. “Love your child, listen to your child, accept your child,” she answered. “Reject the notion that your children are disposable if they are not little mini versions of you and that creating more of you isn’t in every kind of way, isn’t the solution to keeping them safe or paving the way for a happy life.” Watch a clip of the actress dishing out advice to LGBTQIA+ parents below.

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The relationship between Egypt Criss and Sam Mattick has been a central focus of Growing Up Hip Hop. As the daughter of Naughty By Nature’s Treach and Salt-n-Pepa’s Sandra “Pepa” Denton, Egypt has plenty of people looking out for her. The 21-year-old’s romance with Sam has often been a point of contention with a few of her friends who don’t believe that he has the purest of intentions.

Nevertheless, when Sam proposed, Egypt happily accepted. In a recent episode, the pair decided that it was time for Sam to live his truth so he made a revelation to the cast that left many people floored while at his engagement party. Sam was in the middle of performing when he sang the line, “I’m not straight but I’m not gay” which shocked a few of his friends.

In a speech, Sam spoke about his love for Egypt because she was the first woman he was honest about his past with. He said even after he told her about his two children and his “massive child support” during the first week that they met, Egypt didn’t run from him. “Egypt was the first person that I ever told that I had experiences with a trans woman.”

Eazy E’s son Lil Eazy E said the news took him by surprise and he almost spit his drink out. Angela Simmons was “happy for Sam that he’s being open and honest and vulnerable.” Dame Dash’s son Boogie said he was “shocked” but “not surprised” because “Sam has an outrageous lifestyle.” Vanessa Simmons wished them the best, but Egypt expressed her main concern was how her father, who was in the audience, was going to react.

Treach was obviously not happy how things were unfolding. You can watch his, and everyone else’s, reaction below.

Cardi B explained why people should keep their opinions to themselves about Dwyane Wade and Gabrielle Union's trans daughter, Zaya, on Instagram live, after various celebrities spoke on the subject since Zaya came out as trans earlier this month. A few weeks ago, Dwyane and Gabrielle revealed to the world that their 12-year-old child identifies as a girl, and would thus forth go by Zaya and be referred to with female pronouns. The proud parents have been nothing but supportive of their daughter, and various celebrities have reached out to express their support as well. However, others were much more hateful. Boosie Badazz went on a transphobic rant (which eventually got him kicked out of Planet Fitness) about Zaya, insisting that Dwyane and his family have "gone too f*cking far."Young Thug was also insensitive toward the 12-year-old, misgendering her just as Boosie did and claiming that "God don't make mistakes." Boosie and Thug received plenty of backlash for their comments, and now, Cardi has taken it upon herself to express how she feels about the whole situation. The rapper began explaining her stance by reminding everyone that Zaya is a child, and that we should all be more sensitive about how we speak about her.

Dwyane Wade and his daughter Zaya have been making headlines over the last week due to the revelation that Zaya is trans and identifies as a female. At 12 years old, Zaya has been able to recognize her gender identity and has been making strides to educate her parents on how she feels. Wade has taken this all in stride and has been as supportive as one could imagine.

Recently, Wade sat down with Robin Roberts Good Morning America where he spoke on his brand new documentary. D.Wade: Life Unexpected takes a look at the basketball player’s hectic life. Zaya is a major part of the documentary and as Wade described, he felt a little uneasy about talking about her transition, at first.

“I struggled on how much I wanted to talk about it in the doc,” Wade said. “I actually didn’t talk about it a lot, but I knew if I put it in the doc at all, it would be a big conversation…We struggled with what people would say about a 12-year-old making a decision about her life. But we also know our child.”