MOORESVILLE, N.C. — People around North Carolina marched on the streets Friday in recognition of International Transgender Day of Visibility.
It's a day dedicated to celebrating transgender people and raising awareness of the discrimination they face.
In downtown Mooresville, about a hundred people marched in support of transgender people and youth in their area.
It comes as legislation across the United States, including in North Carolina, is trying to ban story time drag shows and restrict how LGBTQ+ issues are discussed in the classroom.
"I want politics to be about the roads and about taxes, and about the national deficit," Robin Guti, who uses the pronouns she and they, said. "I don't want politics to be about my life. I don't want me to be a political talking point. I'm not a political talking point. I'm a human being."
C.L.E.V.E.R., a community organization advocating for the rights of LGBTQ+ youth in this area, organized the march.
One 15-year-old said anti-LGBTQ+ legislation around the country is harming transgender youth.
"Youth lives are in serious danger with these bills," Kanik Lates, who uses the pronouns he and they, said. "And it's not only affecting my family and me, but it's affecting my friends. It's affecting people who I don't even know. It's affecting my community."
Several states have filed or enacted legislation that prohibits the use of gender-affirming care for transgender youth. This is happening despite research and health experts concluding that gender-affirming care improves the mental health and overall well-being of gender-diverse children and adolescents.
Mental health therapist William Stewart, who came as an ally to the march, said transgender youth face higher rates of suicide and experience more violence.
"Members of the trans community -- if just one person, one adult shows them support, the risk of suicide decreases dramatically," Stewart said. "And so I choose to be that one for anyone that I come into contact with. But my challenge to the rest of the people out there is not to be silent, to show your support because it has a measurable impact on the kids in particular."
If you or a loved one are facing thoughts of suicide or self-harm, there is help readily available. You can call Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988 or chat with them online. There are also resources in North Carolina available here and in South Carolina available here.
As the route marched on, people came out of their stores in support.
Across the street, a small number of counter-protesters held up signs and the American flag.
The crowd largely ignored them, as members of the Mooresville Police Department helped escort the group down the street to city hall.
Guti said transgender people just want to live.
"Hate is finite and it won't last forever," Guti said. "And we will triumph over this because we exist and we have existed and we will continue to exist no matter what people say or try to do."
Contact Shamarria Morrison at smorrison@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.