The political playbook that unraveled US transgender rights in the past decade

From the military to healthcare, Trump systematically dismantled Obama-era protections for transgender rights

Shelby Chestnut remembers turning on the news in 2016 and hearing something he didn't expect. Then- attorney general, Loretta Lynch, had just announced a federal lawsuit to block HB2 in North Carolina, otherwise known as the bathroom bill". Lynch said the law, which made it illegal for transgender people to use a public restroom that did not align with the sex listed on their birth certificate, was reminiscent of those passed during the Jim Crow era that restricted public facility use by race. Then, she addressed transgender Americans directly: But no matter how isolated or scared you may feel today, the Department of Justice and the entire Obama administration wants you to know that we see you; we stand with you; and we will do everything we can to protect you going forward."

HB 2 was repealed within the year. Chestnut said he thought at the time: Oh this is the next phase of protections for trans people."