Organizing and Youth Resistance: The Fight for Trans Rights in Texas, by Sherri Castillo, Ph.D. Angela Valenzuela, Ph.D. & Chesley Hinds

Friends:

I am proud to share this important research on the ongoing fight for trans rights in Texas. This study highlights the powerful role that transgender and non-binary youth are playing—organizing, resisting, and transforming political participation through online activism and grassroots protests. 

Special thanks, in particular, to Dr. Sherri Castillo for taking a lead on this project and to QSE Special Editor, Dr. Melinda Lemke for giving us the nudge. In deep gratitude to Chesley Hinds for your incredible and ongoing advocacy in the Texas State Legislature and for your contributions to this piece. Greatly appreciated.

We explore how transgender and non-binary youth in Texas have mobilized against restrictive laws during recent legislative sessions. By analyzing their testimonies and the innovative ways they’ve organized online, we highlight a significant shift in political engagement among younger generations.

We must lead with love, not craft hateful policies that target Gen Z—a generation that, far too often, finds itself under attack. The sheer volume of these policies suggests something deeper, even generational, with many Baby Boomers appearing more focused on silencing Gen Z than supporting their right to simply exist.

It’s a shameful misuse of taxpayer dollars for those in power to target young people who simply want to live in a world of peace and dignity—free from discrimination—a world they not only deserve, but one that has long been denied to so many in our community.

If I may pivot here to explain why I take attacks against trans youth personally is that I can relate to the politics of erasure, denial, and stigmatization. The irony here is this denial shaped my identity and political formation. Even though we are Indigenous to this land, we are treated as if we were foreigners, such as when we are wrongfully told to “go back to where we came from,” as if there were somewhere else we belonged. 

For our trans and non-binary neighbors, students, friends and colleagues, remember that from struggle arises a deep well of collective memory, ancestral wisdom, and enduring resilience. These are our greatest resources—gifts inherited through generations—for a time such as this. However, we must work together—intergenerationally, intersectionally, and in solidarity across communities—to confront injustice, reclaim our narratives, and build a more just future.

We often fight these battles but fail to write about them. Glad to see this piece come to fruition. If you hit the paywall, you can still download it through this link. Amplifying the voices of trans youth and spreading awareness is crucial in the struggle for trans rights in Texas and beyond. 

Knowledge is not only power—it is also an opportunity for transcendence. I often remind my students in class: “Every way that students are different is every way that we can love.”

It shouldn’t be so hard—but clearly, it is.

I leave you with this reflection:

“All human nature vigorously resists grace because grace changes us and the change is painful."

—Flannery O'Connor

Flannery O'Connor nails it. We are in a deeply spiritual struggle. I remember reading O’Connor when I was an undergraduate, majoring in English literature/Spanish minor at Angelo State University in West Texas. She confronts the uncomfortable, inconvenient truths about faith, pride, and the moral and spiritual struggles of ordinary people.

O'Connor is considered one of the most important American fiction writers of the last century. We appreciate your thoughts and commentary.

Peace/ paz,

-Angela Valenzuela

Reference

Castillo, S., Valenzuela, A., & Hinds, C. (2025). Organizing and youth resistance: the fight for trans rights in Texas. International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, 1–20. https://doi.org/10.1080/09518398.2025.2502060

Organizing and youth resistance: the fight for trans rights in Texas

Sherri Castillo

,

Angela Valenzuela

 &

Chesley Hinds

Abstract

The civil rights of transgender and non-binary youth in Texas were the focus of proposed laws during the 87th and 88th legislative sessions. These laws aimed to restrict access to educational resources, healthcare, and transition services. The response from non-profit organizations and youth-led protest movements represented a significant change in political engagement among transgender and non-binary students from Gen-Z (born between 1997 and 2012) and Gen-Alpha (born between 2010 and 2024). Growing cooperation among youth on online platforms for coordinating protests indicates a transformation in political participation. This study investigates youth resistance strategies and organizational efforts by analyzing testimonies from transgender and non-binary youth leaders.