Trans artists Evan Greer and Ryan Cassata are lending their voices for a song to support trans youth. On Monday, to celebrate International Transgender Day of Visibility, the pair of musicians/activists linked up to release “Protect Trans Kids.”
The chant-like punk track hears the pair of musicians declare, “Leave them alone, leave them alone, what the fuck is wrong with you? … let ’em read books, let ’em have fun, let ’em take a fucking piss without you all up in their fucking business.”
Greer described the track as something “more cathartic than educational” and is meant more to release the frustration felt over the attacks on trans children than actually changing people’s minds about issues relating to her community.
“Sometimes you just need to fucking scream, you know?” said Greer of the track. “When dealing with a topic like transphobic violence and discrimination, something that carries so much pain for so many people, the structure of old-school political punk can be really helpful in just … saying exactly what you mean.”
“We’re literally asking people who are hurting on trans kids what the fuck is wrong with them. It’s a ripper by trans people for trans people,” she added. “I really just want this to be a song that trans youth can scream along to in the car or sneak into the office and blast over the PA at their high school.”
Earlier this month, a U.S. District Court judge blocked President Donald Trump from cutting federal funding from institutions providing gender-affirming care for transgender youth. He’s also passed executive orders about the issue, including one that pulls federal dollars from programs that “promote gender ideology” and another that referred to gender-affirming care as “the chemical and surgical mutilation of children.”
“These executive orders are using the force of our government to discriminate against a tiny minority of kids,” one mother of a trans child told Rolling Stone last month. “My kid is left bewildered and wondering what she did to deserve all this hate. I’m left wondering how to protect her.”
Back in 2021, Greer also honored Trans Visibility Day by releasing “The Tyranny of Either/Or” about states like Arkansas, which passed cruel laws aimed at denying trans people healthcare.
