Advocates voice support for transgender community at Mineola rally

Their light eyes wide, 18-year-old Adrian Pollak stood in awe amid a crowd of transgender rights supporters outside a government building in Mineola.

“I’ve been in Mineola literally 18 years, and I don’t feel safe half the time in my own school,” said Pollak, who identifies as nonbinary. “So it’s way more people than I thought it would be, and it’s awesome.”

The Long Island Trans Rights Rally, held on the steps of the Theodore Roosevelt Executive and Legislative Building on Saturday afternoon, drew several dozen advocates for transgender, nonbinary and intersex rights. And for many, the cause was personal. 

"We wanted to show our kid that there were other people on Long Island that support them," said Adrian's father, Randy Pollak, 50. "They're not alone here." 

Juli Grey-Owens, organizer of the event and executive director of Gender Equality New York, said in a phone interview before the rally that one objective was to “show that we exist.”

“We’re going to make sure that people understand that we’re not going to hide, that we’re not going back to the shadows, that we’re not going back into the closet — that we’re going to fight for our rights, for our dignity and basically for our future,” Grey-Owens said.

The transgender community is facing challenges on the federal and local levels. Nationally, President Donald Trump has tried to revoke federal funding for schools that teach "gender ideology" and to prevent transgender people from serving in the military. Here on Long Island, Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman signed into law last year a bill that prohibits transgender females from playing on women's and girls' sports teams at county facilities. 

Republican county lawmakers have said transgender women and girls have an unfair advantage over biological female athletes and could hurt them or take away scholarship opportunities.

“Long Island has become a place where trans people and gay people don’t feel safe, and that’s really disturbing to us and makes us want to leave," said Laura Pollak, Adrian's mother.

In pastel colors on a black sign, Laura, 51, identified herself as a “Proud Trans Parent.” 

The transgender, nonbinary and intersex community often struggles with housing, employment and to some extent public services, Grey-Owens said.

“Many of our community members are in hiding,” Grey-Owens said. “They’re worried about violence, they’re worried about discrimination, they’re worried about their families turning against them.”

Grey-Owens referenced the removal earlier this year of mention of transgender individuals from a National Park Service website for the Stonewall National Monument. The Stonewall Inn, located in Greenwich Village, is a prominent location in LGBTQ+ history.

“They now have rewritten history,” Grey-Owens said. “They have removed ‘transgender’ and tried to erase us. When, in reality, we’re just trying to survive.”

For Alice Johnson, who said she volunteers for Planned Parenthood and attended the rally with her friend, boyfriend and dog Keke, the intersection of human rights and politics has proven a frustration.

“I just hate how they politicize trans people for every little reason,” said Johnson, 24, of Wantagh.

Through signage and speeches, event attendees set out to clarify misconceptions about the transgender community. Grey-Owens said a lack of information about transgender issues, including transition, motivates fear.

“Whether it be medical care, whether it’s an issue for our kids playing sports, these constant attacks are just wearing on our community,” Grey-Owens said. “And the amazing thing is, is that, as far as we’re aware, we’ve never done anything to anyone to create this situation.”

By Arielle Dollinger

arielle.dollinger@newsday.com@aridollinger

Arielle Dollinger joined Newsday as a staff reporter in 2022. Previously, she covered local and national news as a freelancer for The New York Times, Newsday and other outlets.