Part of celebrating Pride is remembering the progress that’s been made. Here are the collective memories of Caleb Boyles, River Gallo, and Eva Reign—each of whom collaborated with Youth To The People for our With Pride campaign—around Gavin Grimm’s historic victory when he won the right to use his correct bathroom.
GAVIN GRIMM WINS IN FEDERAL COURT
When did you first hear about the ruling?
“I was 28 and in LA, crying over a boy, I think.” — River Gallo, filmmaker
“I was 23, living in Brooklyn, and working for the Marsha P. Johnson Institute. I remember reading about it on the subway and being very happy for trans youth everywhere. It is a landmark moment worthy of celebration.” — Eva Reign, artist, actress, writer
What impact did the ruling have on you?
“As a cis-assumed trans woman living on her own in New York, this ruling did not have a direct impact on my life. I have the privilege of walking into a woman’s restroom without anyone thinking twice about it. For my many trans siblings who do not share this privilege, I wanted to see more happen.” — Eva Reign
“This moment in time was a celebration for some of my closest friends from college. I felt inspired by how much it meant to them, having their own experiences discussed and rights validated by our judicial system.” — Caleb Boyles, illustrator
What, if anything, has stayed with you about this event? How has time changed your perspective?
“Judge rulings and legislations are great steps toward change, but the attitudes of the general public toward trans bodies will always rule supreme. I want to see cis people start to not only mind their own business, but educate themselves on their limited understandings of gender.” — Eva Reign
“Seeing other parts of the queer community grow and have their rights as individuals validated inspires me to continue pushing for change and acceptance of the queer community at a larger scale.” — Caleb Boyles
“It made me want to work harder to fight for trans, intersex, and GNC rights. There is still so much work to be done.” — River Gallo
