When Donald Trump took office for a second term, Raquel Willis—an author, journalist, transgender activist, and 2025 TIME100 honoree—knew what she would be up against. But she isn’t asking the federal government for permission to be who she is.
“Yes, we need accurate identity documents. Yes, it is hurtful and dangerous that the U.K. Supreme Court, for instance, is saying that trans women aren’t who we say we are—and yet we are still going to exist,” Willis said at the TIME100 Gala in New York on Thursday evening. “We have to remember that the state has always had it out for our people, and that the ways that we maintain our safety and security and sanity is by leaning on each other and leaning on our convictions about ourselves.”
The Trump Administration has made its hostility towards the transgender community evident from Day 1, when the President signed an Executive Order proclaiming that the United States would only recognize two sexes. He went on to sign another Executive Order aimed at ending gender-affirming care for trans youth. A federal judge in March issued a preliminary injunction against the latter order.
“It’s important for us to understand the source of a lot of that hate for what it is, and the source of it isn’t even really Trump, or the Administration, or [Elon] Musk, or any of these figures; it’s these systems of oppression that we still have work to do to chip away at,” Willis said.
In the face of increasing threats to transgender rights, Willis stressed the importance of solidarity.
“We have to lean on community,” she said. “It is up to us to be stewards of our history.”
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The TIME100 Gala is TIME’s annual celebration of the TIME100 list of the world’s most influential people. The Gala brings together icons, leaders, change-makers, and celebrities from across industries and nations for one lively evening of meaningful dialogue and celebration.
TIME is teaming up with ABC to bring viewers inside the exclusive TIME100 Gala with a special television event. TIME100: The World’s Most Influential People, produced in partnership with P&G, airs Sunday, May 4 at 10 p.m. EDT on ABC, and the next day on Hulu, featuring host Snoop Dogg, a performance by Ed Sheeran, and appearances by Demi Moore, Serena Williams, and more.
The 2025 TIME100 Gala was presented by Booking.com, Circle, Diriyah Company, Prudential Financial, Toyota, Amazon, Absolut, Pfizer, and XPRIZE.