Ben & Jerry’s Statement on Trans Rights
At Ben & Jerry’s, we believe that everyone deserves justice in all its flavors. Whether that’s for refugees who have fled their homes because of violence and persecution, communities at the front lines of the climate crisis, or people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer, or otherwise. Everyone, no matter who they are or who they love, deserves full and equal civil rights.
Trans people are our friends, our relatives, and our co-workers. They’re doctors, artists, teachers, and politicians. And recently, they’ve been under attack. Like other marginalized groups, trans people are facing real threats to their health and safety. They are more likely to be attacked in public bathrooms, more likely to be refused work based on their appearance, and more likely to be discriminated against when seeking a home.
Whether it’s banning trans people from serving their country in the military or the exclusion of trans women from some feminist spaces, it’s clear that there are real challenges that trans and non-binary people are facing right now. That’s why Ben & Jerry’s is proud to stand with the trans community as friends and allies in the fight for equality.
Justice isn’t finite. It’s not like slices of a pie. If we give some people a little more security, it doesn’t reduce anyone else’s. We need to unite and fight for justice and equality for all, without exception and leaving no group behind.
We’re proud to be working with our friends at the National Center For Transgender Equality (NCTE) in supporting and advocating for trans people in the US. As they work to build legal protections for people of all gender identities, they also support the trans community through education and visibility. Their racial and economic justice initiative is particularly impactful, combating racism and poverty and uplifting the voices of marginalized trans people across the country.
Join us and the NCTE in supporting the Equality Act, which would provide broad, nationwide legal protections for trans people, protecting them from discrimination in employment, housing, education, credit, access to federal programs, and more. It’s a long overdue piece of legislation that the trans community needs urgently. Take action now to tell the Senate to pass the Equality Act!
