Election victories for Donald Trump and other candidates whose campaigns demeaned transgender people reinforced a widespread backlash against trans rights. For America's LGBTQ-rights movement, it adds up to one of the most sustained setbacks in its history.
For transgender Americans, it's personal There is palpable fear of potential Trump administration steps to further marginalize them. But there is also a spirit of resilience - a determination to persevere in seeking acceptance and understanding.
"I just went through an election where I couldn't watch a sports event on TV without seeing a commercial where trans people were portrayed as monsters," said Jennifer Finney Boylan, a transgender author who teaches at Barnard College in New York.
"This hurts more than any other moment I can remember. We've been knocked down before. We'll be knocked down again. All we can do is fight."
Anti-trans momentum has been growing for several years, with Republican-governed states enacting dozens of laws restricting trans people's options for medical care, sports participation and public restroom access.
